The News Freedom
New Delhi, December 14
In a tumultuous day for Parliament, a total of 14 Opposition Members of Parliament were suspended on Thursday for disruptive behavior and protest tactics that marred proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Thirteen Opposition Members of Parliament faced suspension today from the Lok Sabha, accompanied by an additional suspension of one Rajya Sabha member.
The suspended MPs comprise nine from the Congress, two from the CPM, one from the CPI, and two from the DMK. Notable among the suspended are Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, Md Javed, VK Shreekandan, Benny Behanan and DMK MP K Kanimozhi along with CPM MPs PR Natarajan and S Venkateshan. Additionally, CPI MP K Subbarayan faced suspension.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien received suspension from the Rajya Sabha due to reported “unruly behavior” for the remainder of the ongoing session. O’Brien’s refusal to vacate the House despite the suspension prompted the matter to be referred to the House’s Privileges Committee following a motion presented by the BJP’s leader Piyush Goyal.
Addressing Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that everyone has condemned the incident that happened in Parliament yesterday. “This is a very unfortunate incident, there is no doubt about it. The Chairman has taken immediate cognizance and ordered an investigation into this matter. Whatever precautions can be taken in future, they will be taken. Incidents of sloganeering, throwing of papers and jumping have also taken place in the Old Parliament House. We all should together condemn this incident. I think that in the future all of us need to be careful,” he said.
कल जो घटना संसद में घटित हुई है, सबने उसे Condemn किया है। यह बहुत ही दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण घटना है, इसमें कहीं दो मत नही है।
अध्यक्ष महोदय ने तुरन्त संज्ञान लेकर इस मामले की जांच का आदेश दिया है। जो Precautions भविष्य में लिये जा सकते हैं, वो लिये जायेंगे। पुराने संसद भवन में भी… pic.twitter.com/epl6GlHoSM
— Rajnath Singh (मोदी का परिवार) (@rajnathsingh) December 14, 2023
Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Pralhad Joshi, said that the Speaker is the guardian of the House and it is not within our power to make a statement. “The government is following the orders of the Speaker. Do not do politics on this issue. We are very sensitive on this issue.I request Opposition MPs to cooperate with the government and allow constructive debate and discussion in Parliament,” he added.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh emphasized the necessity for Union Home Minister intervention, urging for a statement regarding the circumstances. He highlighted the BJP’s silence on the involvement of its Mysore MP, Pratap Simha, suggesting an attempt to divert attention from this aspect of the issue.