Assembly standoff to end

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, MARCH 25.

No worthwhile transaction has been allowed to take place in the Delhi Assembly since the session began on March 21. Except for the Lieutenant-Governor's address and presentation of the Budget, no business has been carried out due its disruption ruling Congress(I) members.

However, this likely to change from Monday when the Chief Minister, Ms. Sheila Dikshit -- who has recovered from her illness -- will be back in the House. Further, the Chief Minister, who is also Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, has summoned a meeting of the CLP at 12 noon on Monday. The CLP has not met since the beginning of the session as the Chief Minister was down with gastroenteritis and could not attend the proceedings.

It is learnt that Ms. Dikshit held prolonged discussions with various leaders and MLAs and decided to convene a CLP meeting to discuss the strategy likely to be adopted during the rest of the session. The Speaker, Chaudhary Prem Singh, is also learnt to have communicated his unhappiness to Ms. Dikshit over the continued disruption of the House proceedings.

In fact, Ms. Dikshit is understood to have got in touch with senior leaders in AICC(I) to seek their views on the course to be adopted. The Chief Minister is also learnt to have taken up the matter with the party president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi. The AICC(I) has already conveyed that wherever the Congress(I) is in power, it should bring a motion regarding the defence scam and get it passed. In fact, the Speaker had on March 22 rejected the motion moved by the DPCC(I) chief, Mr. Subhash Chopra, and the party MLA, Mr. Mukesh Sharma, under Rule 107. It is likely that the issue would be rake up again at the CLP.

Also, the CLP meeting could be explosive and witness a change of strategy by loyalists. A large number of loyalist MLAs are annoyed with the Ministers and are likely to seek not only a review of their performance but also their resignations for non- performance. In fact, some MLAs are annoyed that the House is not being allowed to be run by the Congress(I) members. A number of uneasy questions had been listed but due to disruptions nothing was taken up.

In fact, the Power Minister, Dr. Narendra Nath, the Development Minister, Dr. Yoganand Shastri, and the Health Minister, Dr. A.K. Walia, are likely to face the ire of the loyalists at the CLP. A lot of issues are agitating the MLAs and they are likely to unleash their wrath on these Ministers. The Chief Minister is also likely to have a tough time handling the situation as the loyalists are determined to make their point. ``There is a deliberate attempt by some Ministers to harass the people close to certain MLAs of East Delhi. The Department officials and machinery are being used to settle personal scores. We are supporting the Chief Minister, but our own Ministers are busy obliging the dissidents rather than doing the works of the loyalists,'' remarked an East Delhi MLA.

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