AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj questions paramilitary troops' deployment inside House

New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS) After proceedings to elect the Mayor and Deputy Mayor began at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) headquarters on Tuesday, Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj raised the question of the deployment of security personnel inside the House.

"Paramilitary forces are being allowed to enter inside the House with sticks in their hands. Does BJP want to take over the MCD by force intimidation?" he queried in a Twitter post.

"I have been elected to the Delhi Assembly three times, but have not seen ever such massive deployment of paramilitary forces inside the House with sticks in their hands, helmets and shields. It is for the first time that such deployment are being allowed inside the house," he said.

Bhardwaj further said that they have the permission to be deployed outside the House.

"If BJP has the mandate, why they are taking help of security personnel?" he asked.

"Does the BJP want to get over the MCD with the help of security forces? I want to say this to all the MPs of the country that if you all don't come to oppose this today, there may be chances that forces could be deployed in Parliament too," the AAP leader said.

However, BJP mayoral candidate Rekha Gupta said the forces were deployed because of the bad behaviour of AAP councillors in the last meeting when they attacked their saffron party counterparts.

The forces have been deployed to avoid any such unfortunate incidents, she added.