Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta recognises Atishi as Leader of Opposition

New Delhi [India], February 27 (ANI): The Delhi Speaker Vijender Gupta on Thursday recognised Aami Admi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi as the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
The decision came days after the AAP appointed Atishi as the LoP.

The Kalkaji MLA has been appointed as Leader of Opposition under Section 2 of the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Act, 2001.
A notification issued by the Legislative Assembly Secretariat National Capital Territory of Delhi on Thursday said, "The Hon'ble Speaker has recognized Smt. Atishi, Member of Delhi Legislative Assembly, who is the Leader of the House of the Party in Opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength, as Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi with immediate effect in terms of Section 2 of the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Salary and Allowances) Act, 2001".
Atishi won the Kalka ji assembly seat by defeating BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri in the recently held Delhi assembly elections.
Meanwhile, after being denied entry into the Delhi Vidhan Sabha premises, Atishi, along with other AAP MLAs, staged a protest outside the Assembly on Thursday, holding 'Jai Bhim' placards. She criticised the move as "undemocratic and unconstitutional."
The Delhi Assembly LoP questioned why suspended legislators were being barred from entering the premises despite precedents from Parliament and state assemblies allowing such access. It asserted that elected representatives have the right to be present in the Assembly complex even if they are not permitted inside the House.
Speaking to ANI, Atishi said, "Police officers are saying that we (AAP MLAs) are suspended from the assembly, so we will not even be allowed to enter the assembly premises. This is undemocratic and unconstitutional... To date, this has never happened in the history of the country... Even in Parliament, there are protests under the Gandhi statue even after being suspended... After all, how can we be stopped? We tried to talk to the Speaker, but nothing was happening."
She cited examples of other legislative bodies, and said, "If you see Delhi Legislative Assembly, Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, elected legislators are never stopped. Even when suspended in Parliament, an elected parliamentarian is never stopped. Therefore, protests often take place in Parliament even after being suspended under the Gandhi statue. Often, even in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, when the Bharatiya Janata Party was in opposition, they used to protest under the statue of Gandhi ji under the statue of Ambedkar."
She reiterated her stance, "We are suspended from the house. Being suspended from the house does not mean that we are suspended from the assembly premises. We are elected legislators. We have the right to go to the assembly premises. How are we being prevented from going to the assembly premises?"
On Tuesday, Tensions escalated in the Delhi Assembly as Speaker Vijender Gupta suspended 12 AAP MLAs, including Atishi and AAP MLA Gopal Rai, amid an uproar ahead of the tabling of the CAG report. (ANI)