AAP MLA Pankaj Pushkar accuses Delhi govt of 'suppressing' voice

New Delhi: In a missive to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, dissident AAP MLA Pankaj Pushkar on Sunday accused the Delhi government of "suppressing" his voice in the Assembly and said there were "permanent barricades" between the ministers and the public in the capital.

Calling for a review of the posts of Parliamentary Secretaries, Pushkar demanded that the work done by them and the expenditure incurred on them be placed before the Assembly and the public.

"...Let us ensure that we do not let the politics of rhetoric, lies and hypocrisy thrive in Delhi. Let us not turn the assembly debates into mere ritual. It is my special request that we do not attempt to suppress any voice in the debates of the Assembly.

"In this context my experience so far has been very bad, my voice in the Assembly has been repeatedly suppressed..." Pushkar, who had openly sided with expelled AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, said in a letter to Kejriwal, Delhi Assmebly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and other MLAs.

The Timarpur MLA, who has been participating in events of Swaraj Abhiyan, a group floated by Yadav and Bhushan, urged Kejriwal to hold a legislative session as early as possible and to ensure that the 'Question Hour' happens daily. "What explains the attempts to evade questions?"

"The restriction imposed on us of raising only ten issues of public importance under Rule 280 should be removed," Pushkar proposed.

He said the government's "unprecedented" move to appoint 21 parliamentary secretaries have given rise to some issues that need careful attention and thought.

"It is extremely important that the duties, rights and expenditures (if any) of all the parliamentary secretaries is carefully debated and thought out and the work done by them in the past months as well as the expenditure on them is kept before the Assembly and the public," he said.

Pushkar observed that access to the Secretariat and the means to gain information has become almost "impossible" for the common man and that "there are permanent barricades between the Ministers and the public."