New Delhi: The Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, on Thursday suspended 14 members of parliament (MPs) belonging to various opposition parties for the remaining period of the current winter session for disrupting the proceedings of the House and showing disrespect to the chair. The suspension was done in two phases, with five MPs from the Congress party being suspended first, followed by nine MPs from the DMK, CPM, CPI, and TMC parties. The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament, also suspended one MP from the TMC party for the rest of the session. The total number of MPs suspended from both houses has reached 15.
The first phase of suspension
The first phase of suspension took place in the morning when Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion to suspend five Congress MPs for the remaining period of the winter session for contempt of the chair. The motion was passed by a voice vote amid protests by the opposition members. The five Congress MPs who were suspended are TN Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Jotimani, Ramya Haridas, and Dean Kuriakose. They were accused of snatching and tearing papers from the table of the Speaker and throwing them in the air on Wednesday when the House was discussing the farmers’ issues.
The second phase of suspension
The second phase of suspension took place in the afternoon when the opposition parties created a ruckus in the Lok Sabha over the security breach of the Parliament premises, which occurred on Wednesday when a group of farmers entered the complex and staged a protest. The Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till 2 pm, and then till 3 pm, due to the pandemonium. When the House resumed at 3 pm, the Speaker named nine MPs for their unruly behavior and asked them to leave the House. The nine MPs who were suspended are Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Behanan, VK Srikandan, Mohammed Javed, PR Natarajan, K Subramaniam, SR Parthiban, S Venkatesan, and Manickam Tagore. They belong to the DMK, CPM, CPI, and TMC parties. They were accused of shouting slogans, displaying placards, and obstructing the proceedings of the House. After the suspension, the Speaker adjourned the House till 11 am on Friday.
The Rajya Sabha suspension
The Rajya Sabha also witnessed a similar scene of chaos and disruption on Thursday, as the opposition parties raised slogans and displayed banners over the farmers’ issues and the security breach of the Parliament. Chairman Venkaiah Naidu repeatedly urged the members to maintain order and allow the House to function, but his appeals went unheeded. He then suspended one TMC MP, Derek O’Brien, for the remaining period of the winter session for showing disrespect to the chair and violating the rules of the House. He said that O’Brien had snatched and torn a paper from the table of the Secretary-General and thrown it towards the chair on Wednesday when the House was debating the constitutional amendment bill to provide reservation to the economically weaker sections. He said that this was an unacceptable and condemnable act and that he had no option but to suspend him. He then adjourned the House till 11 am on Friday.
