Jan Lokpal Bill tabled in Delhi assembly amid protests

New Delhi: Amid protests by Swaraj Abhiyan leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, the Delhi government on Monday tabled the anti-corruption legislation, the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill, in the assembly.

Tabling it, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said it was a "historic" bill and no such bill was as effective as this one.

There was thumping of desks by members of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party who also raised slogans in its support. The Bharatiya Janata Party members in the assembly were not present.

According to the bill, a person involved in corruption will face life imprisonment and the fine imposed will be five times the loss caused to the public exchequer.

Meanwhile, hours before AAP's 2015 Jan Lokpal bill was tabled in Delhi Assembly, Opposition BJP's two MLAs were evicted out of the House and Bhushan and Yadav detained by police allegedly on the orders of the Speaker.

Vijender Gupta, the BJP MLA who was evicted from the House, alleged that he was beaten up by the Marshals and abused by the AAP MLAs while protesting against the suspension of the party MLA OP Sharma.

"I was attacked in the Assembly by the Marshals over the orders of the Speaker. The AAP MLAs also hurled abuses at me," Gupta told a news channel.

Having termed ruling AAP's 2015 ombudsman bill "mahajokepal", the Swaraj Abhiyan on Sunday challenged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to a public debate on the Jan Lokpal Bill.

"Swaraj Abhiyan challenges the Delhi chief minister for an open debate with Prashant Bhushan on their Jan Lokpal Bill," Swaraj Abhiyan, founded by former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, said in a statement.

"We hope that Arvind Kejriwal stops misguiding the common people through lies and false propaganda and accepts the challenge for a healthy debate in the interest of transparency and common people of Delhi," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)