Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs were stopped from entering the Delhi Assembly on Thursday after being suspended earlier this week for creating a ruckus in the House. The barricades placed at the entrance road to the Assembly complex prevented them from accessing the premises, further escalating the political standoff between the AAP and BJP in Delhi.Atishi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, condemned the move and accused the BJP-led Delhi government of dictatorial tactics. She took to social media to express her outrage, stating that AAP MLAs were suspended simply for chanting "Jai Bhim" in the Assembly and were now being barred from even entering the premises.
 

“This has never happened in the history of the Delhi Assembly,” she wrote, calling the incident an unprecedented assault on democratic norms.
 

AAP vs BJP: Heated Confrontation Over Entry Ban

Outside the Assembly, Atishi confronted the police officers on duty and demanded to see an official order restricting the MLAs' entry. She questioned the legitimacy of the move, asking, “Sir, what is the matter? Show me the order. Who gave the order?”The police responded that they were following the Speaker’s directive. However, Atishi was not convinced and insisted on seeing a written document confirming that MLAs were legally barred from entering the Assembly complex.Meanwhile, Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma defended the decision, stating that the AAP legislators had disrupted the House proceedings by raising slogans during Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena’s address.“They cannot raise slogans when the LG is addressing the House. If they break the laws like this, it is not good,” Verma stated, justifying the suspension.
 

CAG Report on Delhi Liquor Policy Sparks Political Firestorm

The controversy over the AAP MLAs’ suspension is deeply tied to the explosive findings of the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) report on the Delhi liquor policy, which was tabled in the Assembly earlier this week.The report, covering the period 2017-18 to 2020-21, revealed that the now-scrapped liquor policy introduced by the former AAP government resulted in a revenue loss of ₹2,002 crore for Delhi.
 

Some of the key findings from the report include:

• ₹890 crore loss due to the government’s failure to re-tender surrendered liquor licenses.
• ₹941 crore loss due to delays in corrective action and exemptions granted to zonal licensees.
• ₹144 crore waiver granted to liquor licensees for a one-month period (December 28, 2021 – January 27, 2022) under the pretext of COVID-19 restrictions.

The report’s revelations have deepened the political crisis in Delhi, with BJP leaders using the findings to attack AAP. Allegations of financial irregularities in the liquor policy had already led to the arrests of several senior AAP leaders, including party chief Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
 

AAP’s Counterclaims: Protest Over BR Ambedkar’s Image Removal

While the BJP claims the suspension of AAP MLAs is justified due to their disruption of the House proceedings, AAP has alleged that the actual reason for their protest was the removal of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s image from the Delhi Chief Minister’s office and the Delhi Secretariat.AAP leaders accused the BJP-led government of undermining Ambedkar’s legacy, questioning whether the ruling party considered Prime Minister Narendra Modi greater than Ambedkar.
 

Suspended MLAs and Legislative Implications

A total of 21 AAP MLAs, including Atishi, were suspended from the Delhi Assembly earlier this week over their strong opposition to the CAG report and its findings on the liquor policy.The suspension comes at a time when the Delhi government was expected to table 14 pending CAG reports in the ongoing Assembly session. However, despite prior announcements, no reports were tabled today. Sources indicate that one of the reports may be presented in the House tomorrow.
 

The blocking of AAP MLAs from the Delhi Assembly has sparked another major political controversy in the capital. While AAP claims the suspension was politically motivated, the BJP defends it as a necessary step to maintain decorum in the Assembly.With the CAG report exposing massive financial losses under the liquor policy, the battle between AAP and BJP is only intensifying. As the political drama unfolds, all eyes are on how this controversy will shape Delhi’s legislative and political landscape in the coming weeks.