In a massive move that threatens to mar the winter session the last of the 17th Lok Sabha , as many as 47 in Lok Sabha and 45 in Rajya Sabha MP’s — were suspended for disrupting proceedings in both the Houses of Parliament.
Thirty-three opposition members were suspended from the Lok Sabha on Monday, including Congress leader in the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MPs T R Baalu and Dayanidhi Maran, and Trinamool Congress’ Saugata Roy for disrupting the proceedings.
Among those suspended in Rajya Sabha were Congress MPs Pramod Tiwari, Jairam Ramesh, K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala and Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav.
The development occurred soon after 33 opposition members, including leader of Congress Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, DMK’s T R Baalu and TMC’s Sougata Ray, were suspended in Lok Sabha following similar scenes in the Lower House.
While 30 LS members were suspended for the remainder of the Winter Session, three were suspended pending the report of the Privileges Committee.
While 34 of the Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended for the remainder of the Winter session, 11 have been directed to stay away from the House pending an inquiry report on their conduct by the Committee of Privileges.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor posted picture on X, expressing solidarity with suspended MP”s,
Sat in solidarity with some of my suspended parliamentary colleagues. They should be inside the House listening to the Home Minister! But we have a government that does not believe in accountability at any level and punishes those who demand it…. pic.twitter.com/CVDJdTAkvb
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 18, 2023
The members were suspended after the House adopted a motion moved by Leader of the House Piyush Goyal for suspension of 34 MPs for the remainder of the session and another one for referring cases of conduct of 11 other opposition MPs to the privileges committee.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted , With an Opposition-Less Parliament, the Modi Govt can now bulldoze important pending legislations, crush any dissent, without any debate.
First, intruders attacked Parliament.
Then Modi Govt attacking Parliament & DemocracyAll Democratic norms are being thrown into the dustbin by an autocratic Modi Govt by suspending 47 MPs.
We have two simple and genuine demands –
1. The Union Home Minister should make a…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 18, 2023
On his suspension from the Lok Sabha, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told ANI , “All leaders, including me, have been suspended. We have been demanding for days to reinstate our MPs who were suspended earlier and that the Home Minister come to the House and give a statement. He gives statements to the TV every day and he can speak a little in the Parliament too regarding what is being done by the Government for the security of the Parliament…Today’s Government has reached the heights of tyranny…We wanted
discussion…”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi told media outside parliament , “Such tyranny won’t work. It is not acceptable to the country. They received this mandate on the trust of the people. They received the mandate because they had considered national security an important issue. But the most secure building is being attacked today. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Home Minister speaks on it. If we demand your statement, you suspended us from the House – this is not acceptable to anyone. We will continue to fight for this…If we are being suspended because we are demanding (statement), then this is a badge of honour for us.”
