NEW DELHI: The first two days of the three-day session of the Delhi Assembly this past week not only saw the Delhi Government being put on the back foot over the issue of fast-running metres, inflated bills and corruption by its own party legislators but also exposed the Bharatiya Janata Party that played the role of "loyal opposition'' to perfection resulting in serious differences within the BJP Legislature Party.

Not only the report of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) embarrassed the Sheila Dikshit Government but also the aggression within the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) over the issues affecting the people saw the Government running for cover inside and outside the Vidhan Sabha.

For her part, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has refused to speak on the PAC findings or corruption involved in it and instead fielded first-time MLAs to defend the Government on the issue of power privatisation, fast-running metres and inflated bills as senior party members refused to stand up for the Government.

The session also brought out into the open that all is not well within the CLP and the ad hocism witnessed in running the affairs of the CLP inside the House indicated poor floor management that has come to be identified with the Chief Whip, Ramakant Goswami.

No-confidence motion

Such was the state of affairs that on the day no-confidence motion was taken up, the ruling party MLAs were issued a whip to vote against the motion inside the House at 3 p.m.

The dissidents ensured that things do not work out according to the plan of the loyalists' camp and, led by former DPCC president Subhash Chopra, spoke out against the Delhi Government and its continued defence of the private power distribution companies. The Congress MLAs accused their own Government of being hand in glove with the private companies and being party to loot and harassment of lakhs of consumers.

On the other hand, BJP's role as the main opposition came under sharp criticism from all quarters earning it the label of a "loyal opposition''. It was left to the Nationalist Congress Party MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri to put the Government on the mat and bring out the strong resentment among the Congress MLAs on issues relating to power.

The decision of the Leader of the Opposition, Jagdish Mukhi, to bring a non-confidence motion not only helped the ruling party to get away easily over the PAC report and power scam but also left the opposition BJP with no issue for the rest of the session.

It is learnt that many of the BJP legislators were against the decision to bring a no-confidence motion and had even protested against it but Mr. Mukhi managed to have his way.

"Mr. Mukhi has undermined the credibility of the party and an impression has gone around that we entered into some kind of pact with the ruling party. This is not good for the BJP and its future,'' a party legislator remarked.

Interestingly, when the debate on fast-running metres and inflated bills was going on inside the House on Friday, Mr. Mukhi was seen leaving the House and going to the MLAs' lounge where the Chief Minister had just arrived. Mr. Mukhi never returned to the House after that indicating the seriousness with which he took the issue of the citizens' power-related problems.

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