Before initiating the action, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar said Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge refused to meet him in the chamber.
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha on Monday evening suspended 45 MPs from the Upper House of Parliament for the remainder of the Winter Session, barely hours after the Lok Sabha suspended 33 over the Opposition’s incessant protests demanding a statement from home minister Amit Shah on last week’s security breach. The government’s move prompted allegation from the Congress that the former intended to “bulldoze” legislations in the Parliament without the Opposition’s dissent or scrutiny.
Before initiating the action, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar said Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge refused to meet him in the chamber.
Rajya Sabha adopted a motion moved by union minister Piyush Goyal that sought suspension of MPs over alleged “misconduct”.
Earlier today, the Lok Sabha suspended 33 opposition members, including Congress stalwart Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, DMK leader TR Baalu and TMC’s Sougata Roy for showing placards and raising slogans over the Lok Sabha security breach.
While 30 MPs were suspended over the protests, 3 were suspended over breach of privilege probe against them.
Last week, 13 Opposition members were suspended from the Lok Sabha and one was suspended from the Rajya Sabha for alleged “unruly” behaviour.
The total numbers of MPs suspended from the Parliament now stands at 93.
Among those suspended from the Lok Sabha on Monday are: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh, Amar Singh, Rajamohan Unnithan, Su. Thirunavukkarasar, K Muraleedharan, Anto Antony (all from Congress), Kalyan Banerjee, Aparupa Poddar, Prasun Banerjee, Sougata Ray, Satabdi Ray, Protima Mondal, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Asit Kumar Mal, Sunil Kumar Mondal (all from TMC), T R Baalu, A Raja, Dayanidhi Maran, T Sumathy, K Navas Kani, Kalanidhi Veerasamy, C N Annadurai, S S Palanimanickam, G Selvam, S Ramalingam (all from DMK), ET Mohammed Basheer (IUML), N K Premachandran (RSP) and Kaushalendra Kumar (JD-U), reported PTI.
Three Congress members — K Jayakumar, Vijay Vasanth and Abdul Khaleque — who had climbed on the Speaker’s podium and raised slogans, were also suspended from the Lok Sabha over breach of privileges charges.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge today said the Narendra Modi government has thrown democratic norms into the dustbin.
“Then Modi Govt attacking Parliament & Democracy. All 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 statement in both Houses of Parliament on the inexcusable breach in the Parliament security. 2. A detailed discussion should be held on the same. PM can give an interview to a newspaper; Home Minister can give interviews to TV channels. But, they have ZERO accountability left to the Parliament – which represents the PEOPLE OF INDIA !” he wrote on X.
“With an Opposition-Less Parliament, the Modi Govt can now bulldoze important pending legislations, crush any dissent, without any debate,” he added.
On last Wednesday, two intruders jumped into the chamber of the Lok Sabha and raised slogans. They also opened colour smoke cannisters inside the house before being overpowered by MPs. Six people have been arrested so far over the incident.
The Opposition has mounted a massive protest in both the houses of the Parliament demanding statements from union home minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Sunday, Modi said in an interview with Dainik Jagran that there was a need for a probe into the incident, not a debate in the Parliament.
“What happened is very serious,” Modi said in his first comments on Wednesday’s breach.
“There is no need to debate this, there should be a detailed investigation into this…Investigative agencies are probing rigorously. It is important to know who all are behind this and what plans they have. We should also seek solutions with a single mind. Everyone should refrain from debate, controversy, or resistance on such matters,” he added.
