IANS/New Delhi
The Delhi assembly yesterday suspended Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker O P Sharma for the entire winter session for his alleged sexist remarks.
The decision to suspend Sharma was taken amid protests by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party legislators against Sharma for his remarks about party leader Alka Lamba.
The winter session was extended till December 4 for the passage of the Jan Lokpal bill.
Loud protests from six women legislators of the AAP, including Lamba, and their male colleagues led to the adjournment of the assembly twice. Consequently, no business was conducted in the first two hours.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not present.
Although the assembly passed two resolutions to suspend Sharma for the rest of the winter session and refer the matter to the ethics committee of, AAP lawmakers demanded he be sent to jail.
“We will not budge from our demand. He must be sent to jail and disqualified (from assembly),” Lamba said.
Her colleague Rakhi Birla said: “Narrow-minded people like Sharma should not be in the state assembly but in jail.”
They gathered around assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel’s podium and shouted slogans every time the proceedings resumed.
The women legislators even sat near the table reserved for officials associated with the house proceedings.
After Goel failed to placate the visibly agitated legislators, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia urged them to have faith in the ethics committee which, he said, would table the report soon.
AAP activists stage a demonstration against BJP lawmaker Sharma in New Delhi yesterday.
