92 Oppn MPs Suspended from Parliament in Biggest Action Ever: Zero Tolerance for Protests in Well, Placards

A total of 92 Members of Parliament (MPs) from both houses now stand suspended, the maximum number of MPs suspended in any single session of Parliament ever. This has set the stage for a display of ‘unity’ at the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc meeting on Tuesday in Delhi and a tumultuous political battle with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of 2024.

Coming into the well of the house and not speaking from one’s seat, causing disruption and showing placards— the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankar have decided to show zero tolerance for such behaviour inside the house. Even senior opposition leaders exhibited such acts. The case of the 11 MPs who were showing placards has been referred to the Privileges Committee and they will remain suspended till that report of the committee, as an all-party meeting had earlier decided that no placards will be shown inside the Parliament House.

The government termed the suspensions as “unfortunate” with Union Minister Piyush Goyal saying this was a “pre-planned strategy” by the opposition to not let the house run in an orderly manner.

Government sources said the house is for debate and discussions and not inordinate protests and pointed to Birla’s letter to MPs on Saturday saying the “dignity and decorum” of the house must be given primacy. Birla’s letter also mentioned that MPs had resolved at the time of the inauguration of the new Parliament building to not create a ruckus in the well or bring placards.

SILVER LINING FOR OPPOSITION ‘UNITY’

The suspensions could act as a silver lining for the opposition to put up a show of ‘unity’ at the INDIA alliance meeting on Tuesday in Delhi for which senior leaders of opposition parties have arrived. The theme could now be that the government wants to suppress the voice of the opposition in a democracy and wants to push ahead with its bills.

Opposition MPs say they have been forced to protest as Union Home Minister Amit Shah has not made a statement in the house on the Parliament breach incident and there has been no discussion on the “serious topic”. The Opposition MPs are also asking for action against BJP MP Pratap Simha whose office had issued the ‘Visitor Passes’ for the accused who had stormed the Parliament on December 13.

The Opposition MPs have decided to protest outside the Parliament building on Tuesday. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said this matter will be discussed at the INDIA alliance meeting in Delhi on Tuesday.

“Our impression is that Parliament is for discussion and debate, but now the Parliament is for suspension of Opposition MPs,” Congress leader KC Venugopal said, after he was also suspended from the Rajya Sabha.