Delhi Assembly panel row: Speaker warns disruptive MLAs can be removed, AAP's Atishi calls it undemocratic
The ongoing controversy over the powers of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Delhi Assembly took a turn on Tuesday, after Speaker and BJP leader Vijender Gupta said MLAs who create 'chaos' during meetings can be asked to withdraw or be removed.
Gupta's statement came after AAP's Leader of Opposition Atishi raised questions on the panel's powers after the 2021 amendment to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act, which placed curbs on the powers of Assembly committees, and demanded that an opinion on the power of the committee be sought from the Law Department.
The PAC examines the expenditure of government departments and the CAG reports.
Responding to a letter from PAC chairman and BJP MLA Ajay Mahawar, which alleged that AAP MLAs on the committee – Atishi, Kuldeep Kumar and Virender Singh – had disrupted committee meetings, Gupta said they can be removed from meetings.
Atishi first raised the issue with the Speaker on May 6. In response, Gupta said that while committees must function within the boundaries of law, they still retain sufficient authority under the Constitution and Rules, including the power to examine CAG reports.
On Wednesday, Atishi demanded that the Speaker ask the Centre to withdraw the amendments made to the GNCTD Act in 2021.
'That's the first step if you're serious about empowering Delhi Assembly's committees. Why is the Speaker refusing to even raise that demand? If there are no curbs on Committees in this context, why are you afraid of sending it to the Law Department for an opinion? It's not the Speaker's job to interpret the law — it's the Law Department's,' she said.
On Gupta's letter allowing Mahawar to remove members from Committee meetings, Atishi said, 'We are being told that if we raise these questions in a committee, we'll be thrown out of the meeting. This has never happened in the democratic history of our country.'
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It's not enough to say the law protects us if society doesn't — Manasvi Goilkar | Trans woman, social activist & founding member, Shikhandi Trust Pune: Kadambari Shaikh has a story of triumph like no other. When the trans woman and social activist moved from her family home in Sadashiv Peth to rent a flat in Hadapsar in the late 2000s, she was harassed, abused and driven out. "I was medically transitioning at the time. Landlords asked me to dress like a man and avoid wearing a sari if I wanted a house. My neighbours would often harass me and pass crude comments," she said. Fast-forward to today — "In 2020, I bought a house in the society that had once rejected me, and am now its secretary and committee member," Shaikh said. "I had to fight every step of the way. Now I try to help others, so they don't go through what I did." Shaikh's full-circle moment of joy is a rare exception. In the city's rapidly expanding skyline of gated societies and highrises, some citizens live an uncomfortable and scared life as they are often denied something as basic as a roof over their heads. Despite the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, which prohibits discrimination in housing, education and employment, and Articles 14, 15, 16 and 21 of the Indian Constitution, which provide protection against any discrimination in society, enforcement remains weak and awareness still patchy. Activists estimate that Pune has about 6,000 individuals who fall under the broad umbrella of LGBTQIA+, which includes lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans people and all other individuals who identify as a part of the queer community. For most of them, especially transgender people, the right to rent a home remains a distant dream. Many housing societies enforce unwritten codes that outrightly exclude transgender people. As the world celebrated the month of Pride, Nikhilshwari Dhawade (20), a third-year student at a college in the city, was forced to vacate her rented flat in Pashan on June 9, a few days after moving in. The landlord's daughter told her, "I cannot allow people like you to live here." When the young trans woman refused to leave, explaining her legal right to live there, the landlord's family assaulted her and confined her in a room. "The landlord's daughter, her husband and her daughter punched me, slapped me and pulled my hair," Dhawade said. Such violence, deeply ingrained biases and the fear of being unable to be their authentic selves drive many young transpeople to the slums. "Many in the transgender community have no choice but to live in slums, where they often find greater acceptance and solidarity," Shaikh said, while admitting that she was able to buy a house only after she found her footing by training as a professional makeup artist. This not only empowered her financially but also gave her social capital. Anil Ukarande, the founder of Yutak Trust — an organisation that works for LGBTQIA+ people — pointed out that despite being a hub for IT and education, and attracting students and professionals from all over, Pune still poses significant challenges for the transgender community. "Even if they get flats on rent, many are often forced to hide their identity, go back into the closet, and live a dual life. They are forced to find a place in slums because there, at least, they find some acceptance, even if they must compromise on their living standards," Ukarande said. The situation is no better for transmen. Thirty-two-year-old Arush Kusalkar moved to a slum area near Shivajinagar after repeated discrimination during his medical and social transition phases. "As my body was developing masculine features and feminine features were still noticeable at that stage, the owner would subject me to unfair treatment. Landlords would make me pay an excessively high deposit and inflate the rent," Kusalkar said. Sportsperson Milan Labade has been living in Pune for six years. She recalled that she once had to move houses three times in a single month — from Kondhwa to Vimannagar to Hadapsar — because the landlords changed their minds soon after she moved in. Labade, whose PhD focused on the economical conditions of transgender individuals and is currently working at the Centre for Youth Development (CYDA), eventually had to seek solace in a slum. "I was uncomfortable living in slums. However, due to the difficulty of finding suitable housing, I had no choice but to live there temporarily," the trans woman said. For most trans people, the targeted harassment begins even before they find a house that they like as they first must deal with brokers. But real estate brokers in the city claim it's a mindset problem, with most owners worried that letting in a transperson would affect their standing in society. Sachin Soni, a broker from Old Sangvi, said, "At least 70% of societies or flatowners deny houses to a transgender person. I have been working in the field for 25 years and this is a harsh reality. It is all about mindset. Transgender people are also God's creation like us. They are good people." Mohit Jain, another broker who has been operating in western Pune areas for about seven to eight years, said he has never been successful in finding a rented accommodation for a trans person. "Unfortunately, most property owners only allow families, which limits my ability to help." Change can only begin if homeowners evolve and get over such regressive attitudes, another broker said. The archaic worry of "what will people think?" is the thought that rules the mind of many homeowners. "As a human being, I understand that trans people are just like us, and I'm comfortable with them," said Rekha Chitrode, who owns a flat in Pimpri Chinchwad. "However, as a property owner, it's challenging to rent to them due to societal pressure and stigma. People in the community might view it negatively, impacting the reputation of my building and deterring other potential tenants," she said, Susi P, a trans woman working in the city, said, "What is the point in humanity advancing technologically and reaching for the space, if people on Earth are still denied basic rights. Housing is not a favour; it is a fundamental human right." --------------------------- Even when transgender individuals manage to secure housing, they frequently encounter hostility and exclusion. Many landlords reject us outright to 'protect the image' of the society. It is absurdly unjust to discriminate based on appearances. Gender is visible. That's what makes us a target. It's not enough to say the law protects us if society doesn't — Manasvi Goilkar | Trans woman, social activist & founding member, Shikhandi Trust
