New Delhi

The suspension of 21 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators from the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday marks the largest disciplinary action against lawmakers for unruly behaviour in over a decade.

“The primary reason for such a high number of MLAs being suspended is the weak strength of the Opposition since AAP dominated the Assembly with its brute majority,” said S.K. Sharma, former Secretary of the Lok Sabha and Delhi Assembly.

He noted that 20 may seem like a large figure, but in the past decade, no more than eight MLAs had been suspended at once—primarily because the BJP had never held more seats than this in the Assembly.

The 21 AAP legislators were suspended for disrupting Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena’s address in the House.

Sharma pointed out that suspending the entire Opposition in a legislature is not unprecedented.

“Such suspensions have occurred since 1993, when Madan Lal Khurana was Chief Minister. The Speaker may not always name each suspended MLA, but it is an established practice to assume the entire Opposition camp is barred from proceedings,” he explained.

He further highlighted that parliamentary convention dictates that all Opposition legislators who support a suspended colleague or stage a walkout in solidarity are also liable to be suspended. Sharma, who was instrumental in framing the rules and procedures of the Delhi Assembly, emphasised this as standard legislative practice.

The current Opposition numbers in the Delhi Assembly are notably lower than in previous years. In 2013, when Arvind Kejriwal’s first government lasted 49 days, the BJP was in Opposition with 31 MLAs—higher than the present 21. In 2008, the BJP had 23 legislators in Opposition when the Congress secured its third consecutive victory in Delhi. However, since 2015, the BJP’s presence in the Opposition has dwindled, with just eight MLAs at most, and as few as three at times.

Sharma criticised the AAP government for dismantling parliamentary traditions in the Delhi Assembly over the past decade. He recalled an era when suspension from House proceedings was considered a badge of honour for a legislator.

“During Madan Lal Khurana’s tenure as CM (1993–1998), with Jag Pravesh Chandra leading the Congress Opposition, there was a healthy competition among legislators to make their voices heard in the Assembly,” Sharma recounted.

He reminisced about a time when the Assembly witnessed long, insightful debates, where Opposition members formally recorded dissent, and Fridays were reserved for private member bills—a practice that was discontinued under Kejriwal.

“Under Kejriwal, the Delhi Assembly was reduced to a platform for abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The House functioned in a way where no one except the then CM was allowed to speak,” he alleged.

The constitutional expert expressed hope that Delhi’s new BJP government, under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, along with the Lieutenant Governor, would restore essential parliamentary traditions such as Question Hour, the introduction of resolutions and Bills, and robust debates and discussions.

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Recalling an unusual incident from his time as Secretary of the Delhi Assembly, Sharma described how marshals once struggled to physically lift and remove a well-built Sikh legislator from the BJP.

“I had to personally approach the MLA and request him to voluntarily leave so that the Speaker’s orders could be followed,” he said, reflecting on his decades of experience in legislative affairs and training sessions for lawmakers.