New Delhi, Jan 7 (NationPress) Four Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs, who faced suspension for allegedly disrupting Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena's address, were halted by police from entering the Delhi Assembly on Wednesday, igniting a fierce political clash between the ruling BJP and the Opposition.

The suspended MLAs, Som Dutt, Jarnail Singh, Kuldeep Kumar, and Sanjeev Jha, were penalized on Tuesday for their actions during the opening session of the year.

On Wednesday, as they tried to enter the Assembly premises, law enforcement prevented their vehicles from proceeding.

The suspended MLAs strongly condemned the BJP-led Delhi government, accusing it of “undermining” the Constitution.

They contended that although they had been barred from Assembly proceedings, there was no legal justification for stopping them from accessing their offices or entering the Assembly.

In an interview with IANS, AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar stated, “The Bharatiya Janata Party does not want the House to function. They suspended us from the House because we were wearing masks, and then they said the suspension was not because of masks. If it was not for that reason, then why were we suspended? And now you are suspending an MLA for three days, how can you stop me from going anywhere or entering the premises? This is unconstitutional.”

“We are saying that we will not attend the proceedings for three days, even though it is against the traditions of the House, but still, we are being stopped from even going to our offices,” he added.

Jarnail Singh, also speaking to IANS, drew a parallel between the current situation and authoritarian rule.

“Those who wish to see the era of British rule's dictatorship, the Mughal era, or want to go back to old times, can come outside the Delhi Assembly today and witness this dictatorship. Elected MLAs are being stopped on the road outside the Assembly by putting up barricades. We were barred from attending the House proceedings for three days, but without any order, our vehicles are being stopped,” he said.

He further asserted that even after officials presented the suspension order, it did not include any restrictions on their entry into the Assembly offices.

“After much effort, when these officials were able to present the order to us, it was not written anywhere that we cannot enter our offices,” he added.

This controversy originated from Tuesday's events, during which the first Assembly session of the year commenced with Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena's address.

AAP MLAs disrupted the speech to protest against air pollution in the national capital. Following these interruptions, Speaker Vijender Gupta ordered several Opposition members to be removed from the House.

While the Lieutenant Governor addressed the House, AAP MLAs were also seen protesting outside the Assembly while wearing gas masks. In response, the Public Works Department and Legislative Affairs Minister Parvesh Verma initiated a formal resolution to suspend the four MLAs identified as the primary agitators.

Speaker Gupta stated that the four legislators displayed contempt towards the House and the Lieutenant Governor by causing disturbances without any valid reason, resulting in their suspension.