New Delhi:

Twelve opposition MLAs – including the Aam Aadmi Party’s ex-Chief Minister, Atishi, who is now Leader of the Opposition – were suspended from the Delhi Assembly, for the day, in a face-off with the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party over an auditor’s report into the alleged liquor policy scam.

Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai, one of the few high-profile figures to avoid defeat in the February 5 election (party boss Arvind Kejriwal was not so lucky), was also ejected from the Assembly.

Tabled this morning, the report by the Comptroller and Auditor-General, or CAG, is one of over a dozen alleging corruption by the AAP, which ruled Delhi till the BJP’s election win this month.

Another investigates the ‘sheeshmahal’ scam, i.e., claims taxpayers’ money was used to refurbish – with luxury fittings – the bungalow Mr Kejriwal occupied when he was Chief Minister.

These allegations have dogged the AAP and Mr Kejriwal – who was jailed for several months on corruption charges, as was his former deputy, Manish Sisodia – in the build-up to that election,

The fracas began with Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s opening address to the Assembly. And, amid the ensuing row, a furious Atishi also attacked the BJP over the alleged replacement of Dr BR Ambedkar’s photograph with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi – a claim the saffron party dismissed – declaring she would continue to protest till the photos are swapped back.

Led by Atishi, the ejected MLAs then sat outside the Delhi Assembly to continue their protests, waving placards and shouting slogans against the new BJP government.

AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha raged, “In the Chief Minister’s office, the portrait of Dr BR Ambedkar was replaced with PM Modi… when we asked the Speaker if PM Modi is bigger than Dr Ambedkar, he suspended us… They (BJP) hate Dr Ambedkar, but the country will not accept this…”