New Delhi : It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to my first Press Conference as the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly. The first session of the VIII Assembly commenced on 24th February 2025 and was adjourned sine die on 03rd March 2025. The sittings of the
House were held on 24th, 25th, 27th, 28th February and 3rd March 2025. As per established practice the members took their oath on the first day i.e. 24th March 2025. During these five sittings the House conducted business for 18 hours and 18 minutes. 126 Members expressed their views on various issues. It is nothing short of a record that so many Members got a chance to participate in the debates in the first session itself.
As per established practice, all the newly elected Members took oath. Senior member Shri Arvinder Singh Lovely, had been appointed as the protem Speaker for this purpose. On 25th February 2025, the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor addressed the House and described the main issues on which the Government proposed to take action for the welfare of the people of Delhi. The Motion of Thanks was adopted by the House on 28th February 2025. 16 Members participated in the debate and the Hon’ble Chief Minister replied to the
debate.
I met the Hon’ble LG on 03rd March 2025 and personally handed over to him a communication in this regard. The Hon’ble LG thereafter sent a Message to the House, which I read during the sitting of the House Yesterday. Unfortunately on 25th February 2025 I had to send out Members of the Opposition for their unruly action and disturbance to the LGs Address.
The LG Address is a solemn occasion and the Hon’ble LG was discharging his constitutional duties. The Rules of Procedure forbids such disturbances of the LG Address. The Members were later suspended by the House for three sittings for disturbing the LGs Address.
I was also pained by the fact that the Leader of Opposition and her party Members disturbed the proceedings when she was asked to speak on my election as the Speaker.
The House elected Shri Mohan Singh Bisht as the Deputy Speaker in the sitting held on 27th February 2025.
Another important highlight of the First Session was the laying of CAG Reports on the Table of the House. As you would all be aware, I had personally pursued the delay in laying of the CAG Reports by the AAP Government and we had even approached the High Court for this purpose. The CAG’s ‘Performance Audit Report on Regulation and Supply of Liquor in Delhi’ was laid on the Table of the House on 25th February 2025 by The Hon’ble Chief Minister. The Report was discussed in the House for two days. 23 Members participated in this discussion. On 28th February the Hon’ble Chief Minister laid the CAG’s Report on Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services. The House discussed the Report on 28th February and 3rd March 2025. The PAC shall examine these Reports. I have directed that the PAC shall submit its Report within three months. The concerned departments i.e. Excise and Health have been directed to send their respective ATNs within a period of one month.
On 27th February 2025 Shri Satish Upadhyay called the attention of The House towards “alleged insult to the statue of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and gross negligence of martyrs during the tenure of the previous AAP Government.”
The House made obituary references on the passing away of Shri Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India on 27th February 2025. Two minutes silence was also observed on 03rd March 2025 on the sad demise of the mother of Shri Arvinder Singh Lovely, Hon’ble Minister. The House disposed of all the listed business. On 3rd March the House conducted business from 11 AM till 6 PM which shows that time is not a constraint for issues of public interest.
Dear friends I intend to run the Assembly in a fair and impartial manner and in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and our Rules of Procedure. We shall do away with all the wrong practices which had been followed during the past ten years. Now all the sessions shall be duly prorogued. The practice of holding sessions in part for the whole year will not be followed. Special sessions will be called only in emergent and important situations. The sessions of the Assembly are very important. There will be Question Hour in the Budget session a practice which had been almost done away by the previous government. All the members will be given equal importance irrespective of the party affiliation. However in case Rules are violated strict action will be taken. Maximum utilization of the floor time shall be my primary concern. The House shall run with co operation, balance, goodwill and established
Rules. As you are all aware, the Delhi Assembly building holds vast historic significance in our freedom stru
