New Delhi, Jan 24: Hot cups of chai, snacks, patriotic songs and dollops of camaraderie — this is how AAP members sustained their nearly five-hour-long peaceful protest inside the chamber of the municipal House which failed to elect a mayor on Tuesday.
Soon as the House was adjourned till a further date by presiding officer Satya Sharma around 3 pm, AAP members, including its 13 MLAs and three MPs, refused to budge from it, and accused the BJP of “running away from the mayoral poll”.
The protest was finally called off around 8 pm when party MP Sanjay Singh and MLA Durgesh Pathak addressed the AAP leaders, and asserted that their mayor and deputy mayor will be eventually elected.
Earlier, the AAP members seemed to made merry while lodging a protest sitting in the Aruna Asaf Ali hall.
Many councillors took turns to sing songs, largely patriotic numbers like ‘Rang de Basanti’, ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ and ‘Dil Diya Hai’, and one member even recited ‘Vande Mataram’.
The House proceedings began around 11:20 am and nominated members were first administered the oath by presiding officer Satya Sharma, followed by elected councillors.
AAP members had objected to aldermen being administered the oath first and chanted “shame, shame” when it was being done.
Sharma had briefly adjourned the proceedings after the oath-taking ceremony. Later around 3 pm, she adjourned the House till further date after a brief ruckus among members of the AAP and the BJP.
While BJP members walked out with many chanting slogans against Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP members sat in their seats, refusing to move out of the House in protest.
The mayoral election could not be conducted as the newly-elected House convened on Tuesday for the second time in over two weeks. AAP MP Sanjay Singh hit out at the BJP, alleging that the mandate given by the two crore people of Delhi to Arvind Kejriwal and his party has been “strangulated”.
Addressing his party members in the premises of the MCD House after it was adjourned till next date, the Rajya Sabha MP alleged the BJP was running away from mayoral election as it is “losing it badly”.
Mayoral election is “not being allowed” to take place. The BJP is starting a “very dangerous tradition (‘bhayanak parampara’),” Singh alleged.
In the evening, cups of chai were served to the AAP members and many shared slices of sandwiches and fruits. (PTI)
