BJP MLAs told to leave Delhi assembly before Kejriwal tabled confidence motion

The Delhi Assembly saw a chaotic start to the session on Monday before chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was set to table the motion for the confidence vote. Amid ruckus, deputy speaker Rakhi Birla - at one moment - told opposition members to leave the house for the day. All the BJP MLAs were subsequently marshalled out of the assembly as they reached the well of the house, lodging a protest and seeking a discussion on multiple issues.

The protest by the BJP MLAS - inside the assembly - comes amid an ongoing showdown with the rival AAP over several issues, including the excise policy probe. Ahead of the session, the party - at a presser - had alleged another scam in the education sector, accusing CM Kejriwal of "ignoring it for 2.5 years". “The Delhi government took grant to build 29 rain water harvesting system. During the inspection, only two systems were found,” BJP's Gaurav Bhatia said, referring to a report of the Central Vigilance Commission.

In a tweet, BJP's Amit Malviya had even questioned the need for the confidence motion. "Who has asked for a Confidence Motion in Delhi Assembly? No one. It is just a desperate ploy to distract from the liquor excise and education scams, somehow obfuscate truth. There is no threat to Kejriwal’s Govt. Question is - will media relent or wilt under pressure of ad money? (sic)" he wrote.

However, even after the BJP members left, and Kejriwal had delivered his speech, the assembly was briefly disrupted as one of the AAP leaders made allegations against the lieutenant governor amid row with Centre.