Quarrel over quorum in Delhi Assembly

Congress MLAs propose to reduce minimum number of members required to be present in House for business to be transacted to one-fourth. HT Correspondent reports.

The general impression among the people is that the Delhi legislators were an under-worked lot. Some MLAs seem to think otherwise.

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On the last day of Budget session, Congress MLAs felt the minimum number of members required to be present in the assembly for business to be transacted should be scaled down from a minimum of 24 to 13.

Reducing the minimum number of MLAs for the assembly to operate would not just mean increased opportunity for the elected representatives to stay away, but would also take away a legitimate method of protest from the Opposition.

The move comes at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Opposition was walking out regularly from the House when their demands for discussions on water, power and law and order situation were turned down repeatedly.

“You cannot move this item under Rule 107. You have no authority,” BJP's Sahib Singh Chauhan, deputy leader of the Opposition protested.

On June 26, the House proceedings had to be cancelled when BJP leaders walked out demanding a discussion on the power situation, as only 13 MLAs were present in the assembly.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was away in Jaipur and quite a few of her MLAs were playing hooky.

Model Town MLA Kunwar Karan Singh proposed on Wednesday the quorum required for running the assembly should be scaled down from the present minimum of one-third to one-fourth.

Delhi assembly has a total of 70 members.

Singh had moved the proposal under Rule 107 of the Delhi Legislative Assembly Rules that is meant for issues of public good.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Yoganand Shastri tried to placate the Opposition by stating that it was not a Bill, but merely a proposal.

“You people are setting a wrong precedent,” said Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Leader of the Opposition in the House.