New Delhi, May 21 (PTI) The portraits of Veer Savarkar, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati and Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya will soon adorn the Delhi Assembly premises, Speaker Vijender Gupta announced on Wednesday.
This came after Gupta chaired a meeting of the General Purposes Committee that passed a resolution to honour the "national icons".
A row erupted after the meeting as AAP claimed its MLAs, who are members of the panel, had proposed that the portrait of Mata Savitribai Phule be also installed on the Assembly premises.
Assembly officials, however, said no written proposal was submitted, and the issue was raised verbally.
According to a statement from Gupta's office, the committee resolved to install the portraits of Savarkar, Malviya and Saraswati on the Delhi Assembly premises in recognition of their enduring contributions to India's freedom struggle, social reform and educational renaissance.
The decision was taken based on a proposal submitted by General Purposes Committee member Abhay Verma, who stated that honouring the icons with portraits within the Assembly complex would be a fitting tribute to their lasting legacies.
It would serve as a source of inspiration for future generations, reinforcing the values of patriotism, service and democratic ideals, the statement added.
The committee's decision not only honours the contributions of Savarkar, Saraswati and Malaviya but also reflects the Assembly's collective resolve to preserve democratic ideals and promote a deep-rooted sense of national pride, cultural heritage and civic responsibility among the people of Delhi, the statement quoted Gupta as saying.
Meanwhile, AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar claimed that its Seemapuri MLA Veer Singh Dhingan, and Seelampur legislator Chaudhary Zubair Ahmad, who are also members of the General Purposes Committee, had proposed installing Savitribai Phule's portrait in the Assembly.
It was neither accepted nor passed, he claimed at a press conference.
"Before this, the BJP had also removed the picture of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Its mentality has always been to insult great personalities," Kumar alleged.
In a post of X, former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi termed BJP "anti-women", " anti-education" and "anti-Dalit" as she accused the ruling party of not allowing the opposition MLAs' proposal to be passed.
Rejecting the claims, assembly officials said the AAP MLAs, who are part of the committee, did not give any prior information about their proposal in writing and only raised the demand verbally during the meeting.
The Speaker has taken cognizance of their "misleading" statement made to the media and will take a call on further action in this regard, they added.