Aam Aadmi Party MLA Alka Lamba was reportedly asked to resign from the party over a resolution that was presented in Delhi Assembly on December 21, while the party is expected to take action against Somnath Bharti and Jarnail Singh. According to reports, Somnath Bharti has been removed from his post as party spokesperson, while action against Jarnail Singh is also being taken.
On December 21, a resolution was reportedly passed in the assembly demanding that the Bharat Ratna conferred upon former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi should be taken back. Several media houses had reported that the Delhi assembly has already passed such a resolution.
Late in the night on Friday, Alka Lamba tweeted that a resolution was presented in the assembly demanding that Bharat Ratna award given to Rajiv Gandhi should be taken back. She said that she was asked to support the resolution in her speech, but she refused to do so, and she walked out of the house in protest against the resolution.
In the resolution tweeted by Alka Lamba, it is clearly mentioned that firstly, the Delhi assembly should impose upon the Ministry of Home Affairs that strict and swift action is taken against the culprits of the 1984 genocide. In the last two lines of the resolution tweeted, it is mentioned clearly that the Bharat Ratna conferred upon Rajiv Gandhi should be revoked. As one can see, it is a typed resolution and the Bharat Ratna point is not hand written.
आज @DelhiAssembly में प्रस्ताव लाया गया की पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री स्वर्गीय श्री राजीव गांधी जी को दिया गया भारत रत्न वापस लिया जाना चाहिये,
मुझे मेरे भाषण में इसका समर्थन करने को कहा गया,जो मुझे मंजूर नही था,मैंने सदन से वॉक आउट किया।
अब इसकी जो सज़ा मिलेगी,मैं उसके लिये तैयार हूँ। pic.twitter.com/ykZ54XJSAv— Alka Lamba (@LambaAlka) December 21, 2018
The resolution, proposed by Jarnail Singh, seeks to expedite justice for victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and also to declare the riots as worst genocide in the history of India’s national capital.
Apparently, the party was not happy with this public display of defiance by the MLA. True to Arvind Kejriwal’s policy of instant removal of dissidents, the party leadership asked her to quite from the primary membership of the party, which she complied with. The party has already accepted her resignation.
Immediately going into damage control mode, MLA Somnath Bharti claimed on Twitter that the demand to revoke Rajiv Gandhi’s Bharat Ratna was not part of the original resolution prepared by Jarnail Singh. He claimed that while presenting the resolution, Singh mentioned about the matter in his speech. After that, Bharti suggested that it should be included in the resolution. He claimed that he had written a hand-written note demanding the same and included it in the resolution. Bharti said that the house did not pass that additional note, as amendments are needed to be voted separately. He said that he had suggested the amendment, but that amendment was never passed by the house.
Jarnail ji didn’t propose that amendment n never put that 4 vote.Amendments r always put to vote separately n unless passed,that can’t form part of passed resolution.1st I talked of this in my speech n then suggested this amendment n party had no opportunity to see same….2/2
— Adv. Somnath Bharti (@attorneybharti) December 21, 2018
Bharti said that the speaker of the house did not even put the suggested amendment to vote, hence there is no question of assembly passing that resolution.
The same was later officially claimed by the party.
Saurabh Bhardwaj,AAP:Somnath Bharti scribbled an amendment about Rajiv Gandhi;it wasn’t part of original resolution.Original resolution with demands of declaring 1984 riots as genocide&fast-track courts has been passed.Proposal by Bharti remained proposal&couldn’t be passed.(2/2) pic.twitter.com/dOEk5Qsugc
— ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2018
This lie was even endorsed by by AAP sympathetic journalists.
Flash : Delhi Assembly did not pass resolution seeking taking away Bharat Ratna from Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. AAP MLA Somnath Bharti and Jarnail Singh had moved resolution with hand written note but house refused to approve it.
— ASHUTOSH MISHRA (@ashu3page) December 21, 2018
Interestingly, these claims by Bharti and Saurabh Bhardwaj seem dubious. The resolution tweeted by Lamba clearly has nothing handwritten. The demand to take Bharat Ratna back from Rajiv Gandhi is clearly typed just like the rest of the resolution.
In fact, a video of the resolution being passed was tweeted by Congress leader Ajay Maken.
Look at the video of the resolution being passed by AAP in Delhi Assembly.?
Presiding over, is the speaker of Delhi Assembly, who was a BJP MLA in the 1st Delhi Assembly in 1993.
Will not rest till Kejriwal apologises and withdraws this resolution! Call a special session. pic.twitter.com/bJLozQ65py
— Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) December 21, 2018
With a video of the resolution being passed, one has to wonder why AAP has been lying about the resolution.
Majinder S Sirsa believed that this had exposed the lying nature of Arvind Kejriwal and AAP. He also claimed that this u-turn was owing to a call from the Gandhis.
Elect a Liar…
Get a New FRAUD everyday! @ArvindKejriwal exposed pic.twitter.com/giUCcdgfCf— Manjinder S Sirsa (@mssirsa) December 22, 2018
One now wonders whether Arvind Kejriwal will finally break his silence and tell people what the truth is and why AAP felt compelled to lie.
Note: This article has been updated with relevant information
