Kejriwal ‘misled’ public by inaugurating fake phansi-ghar: Speaker

Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Tuesday accused former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of “misleading the public” by inaugurating a “bogus” British-era phansi-ghar (execution room) in the Assembly premises in 2022.

Addressing the House, Mr. Gupta said that on August 9, 2022, the phansi-ghar was inaugurated. “We contacted the National Archives to get the map of the building from 1911-12. From that, it was found out that there was no phansi-ghar here,” he said.

The Speaker said the wooden structure in the Assembly was a lift and used as a “tiffin room” by the members of the Assembly.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members demanded an apology from Mr. Kejriwal for “misleading” the House, while the Aam Aadmi Party members questioned the Speaker for raising the issue at a time when the city was in the grip of several critical problems.

Mr. Gupta said a meeting of historians was called with experts from the Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and others. “They [experts] also said that it [execution room] is fictitious and the wooden structure is a lift. A sensation was created that it was a phansi-ghar. It was a lie,” the Speaker said.

When the AAP members opposed taking up the issue, the Speaker said, “You are telling lies and distorting the truth… misleading the nation and not even allowing us to discuss the issue.”

BJP member Shikha Roy said the “false claim” is a “disrespect” to the dignity of the House. “It is a criminal offence and there should be an FIR on this,” Ms. Roy said.

However, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Atishi said that there are numerous issues affecting Delhi, but no discussion is being held on them.

AAP member Virendra Singh Kadian stated that MLAs lack expertise in history and have no experience working with the Archaeological Survey of India.

“This discussion is being done without any prior information. If any mistake has been made, it should be rectified. We should not consider taking criminal action or any similar actions. Many important issues have to be discussed in this session,” said Mr. Kadian.

However, the Speaker stated that the discussion will continue on Wednesday, and the LoP should provide documents to support the declaration of the room as an execution room.

U.K. delegation

Meanwhile, the Speaker held a courtesy meeting with the visiting British parliamentary delegation, led by Nusrat Ghani, Deputy Speaker of the U.K. House of Commons. “Our shared democratic values and historic ties continue to guide the evolving partnership between India and the U.K.,” the Speaker told the delegation.