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78 MPs suspended as Parliament sets a grim record
The suspensions on Monday breaks the record in terms of suspensions across both houses, although, in 1989, 63 Lok Sabha lawmakers were suspended
NEW DELHI A total of 78 members of Parliament from opposition parties across both houses were on Monday suspended till at least the end of the winter session for continuing to press for statements from the Prime Minister and the home minister, and a discussion, on the breach of Parliament security last week.
The number breaks the record in terms of suspensions across both houses, although, in 1989, 63 Lok Sabha lawmakers were suspended during a discussion of a report on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
With last week’s suspension, this means a total of 92 lawmakers from opposition parties have been suspended till at least the end of the session. Of these, 14will have to appear before the privileges committee, which could choose to recommend a longer suspension.
Despite the rash of suspensions, work went on in Parliament with Post Office Bill, 2023 cleared in the Lok Sabha, and the Rajya Sabha passing the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2023.
The government is keen to pass the new criminal code bills, and it is likely that this will happen on Tuesday or Wednesday. To be sure, the remaining members of the Opposition -- after the suspensions, there are now 148 lawmakers from opposition parties that are part of the INDIA bloc in Parliament -- are likely to disrupt proceedings tomorrow, not just continuing to insist on statements and a discussion on the breach of Parliament, but also protesting the suspension of their colleagues.
The government sought to justify the suspensions. The leader of the house in the Rajya Sabha, Piyush Goyal, speaking to reporters outside Parliament, said: “They (opposition parties) didn’t want the House to run...Today there was important legislation to be discussed in the Rajya Sabha.”
“The House was supposed to take up an issue related to the women’s reservation bill. Whenever there is an issue related to the OBCs, or work related to giving rights to those who are backward or Modi government takes steps for women’s empowerment, the Congress and the Communists are pained...” he added, and pointed out that opposition members did not heed Chairman’s repeated requests to return to their seats and went against a consensus on not displaying placards in the House.
A government functionary who asked not to be named added that the Opposition seemed determined to derail government business from the very start of the session.
Congress president and Rajya Sabha member Mallikarjun Kharge tweeted : “There was an attack on Parliament on 13 December 2023. Today again Modi government has attacked Parliament and democracy. By suspending 92 opposition MPs so far, all democratic systems have been thrown into the dustbin by the autocratic Modi government.”
He added that the Opposition has two demands: “1. The Union Home Minister should make a statement in both Houses of Parliament on the serious breach in the security of Parliament. 2. There should be a detailed discussion on this.”
He added: “The Prime Minister can give an interview to the newspaper; Home Minister can give interviews to TV channels... But, in the Parliament of India which represents both the opposition and the parties of the country, here the BJP is running away from its accountability.”
In the Lok Sabha, the list of the suspended (33 were suspended Monday, adding to the 13 suspended last week) included Congress leader in the house Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Minutes after his suspension, he said: “House cannot run according to the BJP and RSS.”
Back in 1998, the report of the Justice Thakkar Commission of Inquiry on the assassination of the late prime minister Indira Gandhi led to 63 MPs being suspended for a week.
A BJP functionary who asked not to be named said passage of bills is unlikely to be put on hold as the government is committed to clearing the bills. “Today also they disrupted, but work was done... the government has not suspended them; the chair has, that too, after repeated transgressions.”
Last Wednesday, two people — later identified as Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D — vaulted into the Lok Sabha from the visitor’s gallery and released a yellow smoke while shouting slogans. They were overpowered by the parliamentarians and dragged away by the security. Meanwhile, two accomplices — Neelam Singh (37) and Amol Shinde (25) — protested outside the building and opened gas canisters while shouting slogans. The attack triggered an uproar in Parliament and sparked troubling questions about lax security protocols.
Congress MP Chowdhury said: “The Opposition may take out a peaceful protest. Plus, an all-party meeting will be held. We will reiterate our demand that Shah make a statement. But all our members are suspended, so we have to work out how it pans out. We will go by consensus.”
HT on Friday reported the breach was a well-planned conspiracy going back nearly a year with one of the intruders getting a cobbler in Lucknow to carve 2.5-inch deep cavities in the soles of two pairs of shoes to stuff canisters of yellow smoke he carried to Parliament. Six people have been arrested in connection with the breach so far.
(With agency inputs)
