To counter AAP, BJP announces overnight protest at Delhi Assembly to demand sacking of Sisodia, Jain

New Delhi, Aug 29: Hours after the AAP announced a night-long protest at the Delhi Assembly premises, the BJP on Monday said its MLAs will also hold an overnight protest there to demand the sacking of ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain over alleged corruption.

In a BJP statement, Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the party MLAs have been forced to sit on a dharna since they were not heard in the assembly.

All of the BJP's eight MLAs were not part of the proceedings of the Delhi Assembly's special session on Monday and Friday as they were marshalled out of the House on both days.

Earlier in the day, the AAP said its MLAs will camp overnight at the Vidhan Sabha premises demanding a probe against Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena for allegedly pressuring two of his employees to exchange demonetised currency notes worth Rs 1,400 crore during his term as the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) chairman in 2016.

During the House proceedings earlier in the day, AAP legislators trooped into the well and demanded Saxena's resignation, besides a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

In its statement, the BJP said its MLAs were ''expelled unconstitutionally'' from the Delhi Assembly again on Monday and ''no issue was allowed to be raised''.

''The meeting of the BJP Legislature Party was held this afternoon under the chairmanship of Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and it was decided that the BJP MLAs would sit on a dharna near the statues of Shaheed Azam Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev inside the assembly premises. This protest will continue throughout the night,'' it said.

Bidhuri alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was involved in the multi-crore liquor ''scam'' and noted that minister Satyendar Jain is in jail in a money laundering case.

''BJP MLAs have decided to sit on a dharna demanding the sacking of these two ministers. Since their voice was not heard in the assembly, they are forced to sit on a dharna inside the assembly premises,'' the leader of opposition said.

Earlier, the BJP came out in Saxena's defence and said AAP leaders are levelling corruption allegations against him ''to take revenge''.

Based on the LG's recommendations, the CBI registered an FIR in connection with the alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi government's Excise Policy 2021-22.

The agency also raided the residence of Sisodia, who also holds the excise portfolio and is an accused in the case.

Last week, Saxena sought a report from the chief secretary over a delay of more than two-and-a-half years in acting on a Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) report on an inquiry into construction of additional classrooms in Delhi government schools.