House panel wants BJP MLA to pay for damaging mike in Delhi Assembly

New Delhi:  Delhi Assembly's Ethics Committee has recommended that the cost incurred on replacing the mike damaged by BJP legislator OP Sharma during the Budget Session in June this year, be recovered from him.

The committee has further recommended that Sharma be warned not to resort to such "misconduct" in future.

The recommendations were made in the First Report of the Ethics Committee, which was tabled in the Assembly by AAP MLAs Narayan Dutt Sharma and Bhavna Gaur.

"The committee is fully convinced that OP Sharma damaged the mike installed at his seat on June 30, 2015. During the meeting, the committee tried to reason out with Sharma to see if he had any regrets about the conduct.

"It has been noted with deep anguish that OP Sharma's reply betrayed any repentance, let alone apology. Therefore, the committee is constrained to recommend that the full cost incurred on replacing the mike damaged by Sharma be recovered from his salary. The committee further recommends that he be warned not to resort to such misconduct in future," it added.

BJP MLA Sharma had broken the mike at his table on the last day of the Budget Session of the Delhi Assembly alleging that it had been turned off.

AAP MLAs had criticised Sharma's act and demanded that Sharma apologise and pay for damaging government property. Reacting to it, AAP MLA Somnath Bharti had moved a resolution to impose a fine and recover the amount of damage from the MLA's salary.

Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had sent to the disciplinary committee Bharti's resolution that an MLA's salary be deducted if he/she damages any property.

Sharma has also been suspended from the ongoing Winter Session of the Delhi Assembly for his derogatory remarks against AAP MLA Alka Lamba and the matter has been referred to Ethics Committee.