Delhi MLAs, including oppn members, get iPhone 16 pro for official use: Report
The sleek smartphones were handed out on Monday as part of the Delhi Assembly's rollout of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA), a tech-driven initiative under the Centre's "One Nation, One Application" program, The Indian Express said.
Apart from iPhones, all the MLAs, including chief minister Rekha Gupta, were also given iPads and tablets.
The distribution of the premium devices made headlines during the first day of the Monsoon Session, where all legislators attended the proceedings with their new mobile handsets and tablets, an official from the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat said.
The legislators also underwent training last month to familiarize themselves with the digital interface, which includes smart delegate units with microphones and voting panels, RFID/NFC (Radio Frequency Identification, Near Field Communication) access, multilingual support, real-time document access via iPads, an automated AV system with HD cameras, and a secure, power-backed networking environment.
However, the move to provide lawmakers top-tier phones sparked political chatter.
Last month, the Delhi government revised the mobile phone purchase ceiling for the Chief Minister and ministers to ₹1.5 lakh and ₹1.25 lakh respectively, up from ₹50,000.
This revised reimbursement order, issued on July 9, sparked a war of words between the ruling BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party over the high-end phone purchases.
First solar-powered assembly
In another milestone, the Delhi Legislative Assembly became India's first assembly to run entirely on solar power, following the launch of a 500-kilowatt rooftop plant on Sunday.
Speaking at the inauguration of a state-of-the-art 500-kilowatt rooftop solar power plant and National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) in the Delhi Assembly, Meghwal said, "I am told that the three new criminal laws have been fully implemented in Delhi.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the commissioning of the 500 KW solar power plant as a turning point in institutional accountability toward environmental protection.
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Gallows room mystery: An execution chamber to hang freedom fighters or tiffin room delivery lift? Delhi Assembly debates the martyr's memorial
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Speaker Vijender Gupta set the tone early in the day by questioning the historical accuracy of the 'fansi ghar' (gallows room) that was inaugurated with much fanfare by former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and then speaker Ram Niwas Goel three years ago. The space was unveiled on August 9, 2022, to commemorate 75 years of Indian Independence and was dedicated to 'unknown martyrs who were hanged here', according to the plaque installed there. 'There is no history of any such space. There was never an execution room here,' Speaker Gupta told the House. 'We went through national archives, consulted experts, and what has been presented as gallows is actually a lift room. A rope-operated lift used to bring up tiffin boxes for members. There are two such lift shafts in the building – one on each side.' He added, 'It is being shown to foreign delegates as a gallows room. One must wonder – is this a fansi ghar or a lunchbox delivery system?' The section in question was revamped in 2022 into a memorial space spread across two floors. It features murals of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev, a symbolic hanging rope, red-brick-style heritage walls, and glass partitions. There is a plaque crediting then CM Kejriwal and speaker Goel, and a memorial board that claims: 'Innumerable unknown freedom fighters have been hanged here.' The upper floor shows a pulley mechanism, and the ground floor has a wooden platform beneath the shaft, further fuelling the symbolic interpretation. 'Lift not a noose' But the BJP, which controls the Assembly, said fiction was dressed up as patriotism. The party's chief whip Abhay Kumar Verma said, 'In the 2020-25 assembly period, the former speaker said that they found gallows. He also said that there was a tunnel which went from assembly to Red Fort… but maps from 1911 show that this was simply a tiffin room. It used a rope and pulley to deliver food. No hangings happened here. A similar structure exists symmetrically on the other side of the building.' He said that other parts of the Assembly also had clearly defined uses on record – the current speaker's office was once a library, and the deputy speaker's room was earlier marked as the Viceroy's room. 'They even had a smoking room. Every part is documented. This so-called gallows was never meant for executions. It was just a tiffin room.' PWD minister Parvesh Verma went one step further, saying: 'Without any inquiry, they named it phansi ghar. They found some ropes and old shoes – which probably belonged to construction workers. They misled the public. We will now portray the site as it truly was.' Later in the day, Verma visited the site and said the materials placed there would be removed and corrected to reflect the accurate historical context. ChatGPT weighs in In yet another twist, ChatGPT also entered the debate. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Jarnail Singh said the AI tool 'confirmed' the AAP's version. 'In front of the British delegation, the black deeds and crimes of colonial rules are being whitewashed. I asked ChatGPT if there was an execution room in the complex. It clearly says that one room used a gallows room,' Singh said. BJP's Karnail Singh responded with deadpan sarcasm, 'Even ChatGPT is developed by the West. Of course, it will say that.' Verma then said he asked ChatGPT a different question: 'who first claimed there was a fansi ghar'; and said the chatbot pointed to former Speaker Goel. Speaker Gupta interjected, clarifying that 'ChatGPT is not a reliable source — it collects data already on the internet, including false claims. That's not evidence.' The speaker also dismissed previous claims of a tunnel connecting the Assembly to the Red Fort, saying that such features were probably underground ventilation ducts, common in colonial-era architecture. Then, BJP MLA Kulwant Rana gave it a paranormal twist. 'If so many hangings happened here, there must be ghosts too! 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And yet, you won't allow a discussion on jhuggis, on schools, on the shortage of medicines in hospitals, or the worsening law and order situation. Instead, the only thing BJP wants to talk about is 'hanging room'? Is that what this Assembly has been reduced to? They just want to waste the House's precious time.' Speaker Gupta clarified that his remarks were aimed at correcting public misinformation, not individuals: 'We respect the former speaker. This was a government decision. CM Kejriwal inaugurated it. But it's time to review the facts. I direct AAP MLAs to present their documents tomorrow.' The Delhi Assembly building, constructed in 1912, originally hosted the Imperial Legislative Council. The Rowlatt Act of 1919 – a law that allowed detention without trial – was passed here. Leaders like Motilal Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and Madan Mohan Malaviya debated in its chambers. Mahatma Gandhi visited twice to observe sessions. 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Indian Express
2 hours ago
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There was never a phansi-ghar in Delhi Assembly, it was a tiffin room: Speaker cites House map, targets AAP
A British-era phansi-ghar (execution room) in Delhi Assembly or a tiffin room? This question was at the heart of a heated political exchange in the House on the second day of the Monsoon session. Citing a map from 2011 when the Assembly building was constructed, Speaker Vijender Gupta said that the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government under the then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in 2022 falsely claimed that the premises had a British-era 'phansi-ghar' and then renovated it. It was, in fact, a 'tiffin room' used for carrying food and other items, he said. Gupta also said that the AAP government's claims about the existence of a tunnel connecting the Assembly to the Red Fort were incorrect. However, former CM and AAP leader Atishi rebutted, saying that the BJP government was avoiding core issues and wasting the taxpayers' money by discussing such matters in the House. Addressing the Assembly, Delhi minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said, 'It was Ram Niwas Goel, the then Speaker of Delhi Assembly, who had called it an execution room. But it does not conform to the maps that we have found.' He accused Kejriwal of spending 'lakhs of rupees' on the structure's renovation and 'distorting history'. The Minister said that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has confirmed that it was not a historical site. 'Some official told Kejriwal that a 'phansi-ghar' existed here… he went ahead with the renovation without even consulting ASI or Delhi archives.' The Speaker too slammed the previous AAP government, saying, 'A plaque has been installed at the spot, bearing the date August 9, 1942. It was inaugurated as a tourist attraction with the claim that a gallows once existed at that spot. However, the truth is that no gallows ever existed there.' He said that the room was actually a 'tiffin room' and the wooden lift inside it was used for carrying food and other items, but it has been 'incorrectly' described as a 'gallows and trapdoor'. Saying that it concerns the dignity of this entire institution, Gupta urged the Opposition to clarify its position on the issue. He also demanded an apology from the AAP chief. In a statement, Atishi attacked the ruling party, 'What is the point of discussion in the Assembly today? Running a session of the Delhi Assembly costs lakhs of rupees every hour. This is the hard-earned money of Delhi's people — of taxpayers — money we earn through our labour and give to the government.' 'And yet, you won't allow a discussion on jhuggis, on schools, on the shortage of medicines in hospitals, or the worsening law and order situation. Instead, the only thing BJP wants to talk about is a 'hanging room'?' she added. The treasury and the Opposition benches were involved in the heated exchange when a delegation of British Parliament visited the Assembly on Tuesday.
