Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijendra Gupta Says that whatever happened to him in the House in the last ten years, now he will not work with a sense of revenge in the changed role. As the guardian of both sides and public in the House, they will only carry forward democratic legislative rituals. Gupta said that when the purpose of the opposition is done only, then strict steps have to be taken to create discipline. Gupta alleged that the AAP government kept the reports of a constitutional institution like CAG in the garbage but we will take every report to the complete era. With Vijendra Gupta in New Delhi Executive Editor Mukesh Bhardwaj Selected part of a detailed conversation.
You were also in the Delhi Assembly when the BJP was a weak opposition. How to see your changed role in the same house?
Vijendra Gupta: My role has definitely become new, but the experience of ten years has taught me to stand in the House in every situation. Today my role in the House has become like a guardian. I have played this role with full honesty in two sessions of the assembly so far.
You said very important that you are the guardians of both sides in the House including the public. You also saw the time in the House when every resistance was excluded from the House. Whatever happened to you is recorded. Now while running the House, do you ever miss old things in the mind?
Vijendra Gupta: There is no question of running the House with a sense of revenge because it will be injustice. I gave the opposition full opportunity. What happened to me can never become a good example because there has never been any talk on public issues.
The role of House Presidents has become very active in both houses from assemblies to both houses of Parliament. The example of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar is in front. He has commented on several other issues from the judiciary. To what extent can the fine line between the President of the House and the active politician remain underlined?
Vijendra Gupta: I believe that the role of the president is bigger. I cannot comment on Dhankhar ji. There are some issues which should be discouraged from politics but there should be no prank in it.
This question of mine is in the context of Dhankhar ji’s comment that he made on the allegations of fire and millions of burnt notes in a judge’s residence complex in Delhi. The question was on the Delhi Police that the Panchnama was also not recorded in the initial stages. You have been dealing with Delhi Police. Do you think the Delhi Police can do this kind of kindness? Who will decide the responsibility of those who are responsible for the public?
Vijendra Gupta: Parliament makes laws, which is a court over the court. Dhankhar ji has definitely commented with discretion. This matter has gone through so many levels that it would not be appropriate for me to comment without understanding the whole thing.
It has been visible for a long time that whatever it is in power, it starts looking at the opposition as an enemy. How appropriate do you consider this trend?
Vijendra Gupta: There is a different discrimination between the side and the opposition. Both are two aspects of the coins of democracy. According to your allegations, wherever such a situation has been created, both sides should improve the situation for a healthy democracy.
Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said that he is not the opposition but opposition….
Vijendra Gupta: He said absolutely right. Opposition means resistance in front of power. The side and the opposition should exchange ideas. The ideological brainstorm of both sides leads to nectar for democracy.
A tendency is seen that if a bill is to be passed and there is resistance to the opposition, then remove all the opposition from the House. Will such a scene look in your parents too?
Vijendra Gupta: If the opposition decides that the bill will not be passed in any way, no work will be done, then it is everywhere. It also happened in our house. Tight decisions become a compulsion of Aasan. But just to remove the opposition to pass the bill… It has not happened to my cognizance nor should it happen. I gave the opposition full opportunity in the budget session. Question hour is the most important. The Question Hour is a bridge between the House and the government. People have questions. Questions are from two to ten of all opposition because the draw comes out of the draw. Even after this, if the opposition is intent on not allowing the House to run, then disciplinary action has to be taken. Opposition is missing on its attention proposal. The minister is responding and the askers are missing. Meaning you are misleading the public. You do not just want a solution.
There have been many customs in the legislative system of the country. The existence of zero hour is over. It is alleged that the same questions are taken in attention which are compatible with the ruling party. The adjournment motion is not acceptable. The points of the opposition are not noticed. Then what will happen to democratic rituals?
Vijendra Gupta: The situation in the last ten years never confessed all these things. Now I gave you many examples. There should be all your stories. If I am saying, then it is the meaning that I will do it. I have to do this. I showed this by doing this. The House will become meaningless without debate-dialogue.
There are two forms of your sight. I had a lot of questions on the earlier form. Your second form is when questions were being raised on the existence of BJP in Delhi, there was no figure of double in the House, then you took the party and led the fight. On the basis of your form, tell what happened that the Aam Aadmi Party, which has got a strong majority twice, is on the verge of saving its existence today.
Vijendra Gupta: After 2015, Kejriwal ji told me that we wanted to defeat you, now we will beat you next time. But the decision was not to be taken by Kejriwal ji, not the public. Today I want to say to Kejriwal ji that when he was air, he tried to defeat me twice but did not succeed. At the same time, once the wind of the BJP, Kejriwal himself became clear. Arvind Kejriwal was proud that he would give a decision on the public. Every time I won by more votes than before.
Your quoted example brought a question to my mind. Somewhere it has not become a mood of Delhi that those who remain in power with absolute majority three or twice should be given home. Prior to this, this also happened to Sheila Dixit.
Vijendra Gupta: Sheila Dixit was fifteen years and Arvind Kejriwal was ten years. Both were dealt with by the public from the New Delhi seat. For this, the mood of New Delhi seat should be studied.
Why did the Aam Aadmi Party lose?
Vijendra Gupta: The Aam Aadmi Party lost because it went on contrary to the expectations of the public. There was a difference between words and actions which the public took as betrayal. Believing the public is always heavy.
The Congress, which ruled Delhi three times in a row, is not able to bring a single seat for three times. How do you see the Congress getting irrelevant in Delhi politics?
Vijendra Gupta: It is also said that the party which has been in the government for three consecutive times should become zero in the assembly. The Congress needs to introspect this. Not only Delhi, his situation is bad in the whole country.
When the Congress is politically so weak, then why is your top leadership so aggressive about it? What is the reason for spending so much political energy against the Congress?
Vijendra Gupta: Protests are not from the Congress, not its acts. The Congress needs to change itself. He needs to stand ideologically with the country.
The BJP is accused, from Delhi to the national level, senior leaders are being neglected. Those who put life in establishing the party have been set up at home.
Vijendra Gupta: I do not agree with you. I am on the post of President of the House. I will definitely say that the party I come from is the importance of ideology, not a person. This party is not a mission. Even when there was only two seats in 1984, the BJP workers had neither confidence nor made any compromise with ideological issues. Mission is important for us and not manipulations related to power. This is BJP’s strength.
Now it is not so. It is alleged that the BJP has a washing machine through which it involves the people of any ideology. In Delhi too, BJP accepted the leaders of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party.
Vijendra Gupta: Now all these funny allegations to entertain Gahalib…. People are included very thoughtfully from other parties. They are all running on the party’s ideology.
Now there is a triple engine government in Delhi. As I said earlier that you have two forms, then your political is the question that the big promises made by the BJP to the people of Delhi will be fulfilled?
Vijendra Gupta: It is just the beginning. Work has started to fulfill all the promises. Positivity is the most important in today’s time. It is visible that the government is working.
The allegations of corruption against the Aam Aadmi Party were evicted from its power. What is the situation of these allegations today, especially on the CAG issue?
Vijendra Gupta: We are taking the CAG vigorously. It is our endeavor in the monsoon session that the PAC report is presented. In previous years, whether it was Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party, both were putting CAG reports in the dustbin. The CAG is a friend of the government, which was made enemies by both previous governments. CAG is a constitutional body. I assure you that we will introduce all the 14 reports of CAG in a timely manner.
A difference is visible. Before the elections, ED and CBI had a very active activeness. Their movement of Aam Aadmi Party leaders used to move. After the election, these institutions do not remember who Kejriwal is.
Vijendra Gupta: Even then the law was doing its work, the law is still doing its work. Only the agencies quoted by you can give an exact answer.
Hindu-Muslim dispute in the country is becoming increasingly fierce. Delhi also faced a riot. The terrorist attack in Pahalgam also increased the Hindu-Muslim dispute. Why does this happen
Vijendra Gupta: Pahalgam’s attack is shocking. Terrorism is the biggest enemy of this country. Terrorism is a big threat to a terrorist. Today the whole world has decided to end terrorism. If other countries including India have taken the stand, then I feel that there will be a time when Pakistan will have to find in the map.
What will the Center say?
Vijendra Gupta: What has been spoken by the Government of India will be completed.
Recently in the Supreme Court, the Center admitted that the security situation in Delhi is not good. What do you have to say?
Vijendra Gupta: Things have improved in Delhi than before. I said, not the work is still the beginning of the work.
What do you have to say on the status of the full state of Delhi?
Vijendra Gupta: Delhi needs development and harmony. All agencies need to work together. Apart from this, any issue is inspired by politics.
Any tightness to not become Chief Minister?
Vijendra Gupta: There is no tightness. I have been acting like a mission in the organization since childhood. We have got training to consider the party’s decision to be paramount.