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Opposition intensifies protest after 20th MP in Rajya Sabha suspended
AAP lawmaker Sanjay Singh was suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remainder of the week on Wednesday for “throwing papers” towards the Chair a day ago, bringing up the total number of Opposition members suspended from the Upper House this session to 20.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lawmaker Sanjay Singh was suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remainder of the week on Wednesday for “throwing papers” towards the Chair a day ago, bringing up the total number of Opposition members suspended from the Upper House this session to 20. On Tuesday, 19 opposition MPs were suspended for “misconduct” and showing “utter disregard to the House and authority of the chair”.
The Opposition parties have decided to organise a relay protest to express solidarity with the 24 suspended MPs -- 20 from the Rajya Sabha and four from the Lok Sabha. A day-night protest will continue for 50 hours till their suspension is revoked, Opposition leaders said.
Minister of state for parliamentary affairs V Muraleedharan moved the motion that Singh be suspended from the House for the remaining part of the current week for his “unruly behaviour, unbecoming of a member of Rajya Sabha” on Tuesday. The motion said he broke the rules by “shouting slogans from the Well of the House, tearing some papers and throwing them towards the Chair, thereby, disregarding the authority of the Chair and bringing disrepute to this august House.”
The House was subsequently adjourned twice as Singh did not leave the House.
Speaking outside Parliament on his suspension, Singh said, “The hooch tragedy in Gujarat is a very serious issue and I will continue to raise it. The chief minister of Gujarat should resign and it is extremely unfortunate that the government is not allowing us to take up such a serious issue in Parliament.” He was referring to the deaths of 42 people in Gujarat’s Botad and Ahmedabad districts after drinking spurious liquor.
Earlier in the day, when the House convened for business and papers and reports were tabled, chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said he received notices from eight Members on the issue of price rise and inflation, but he was not admitting them as these could be taken up in the normal course of proceedings.
“I have already admitted some of them under various other motions. So, I am not admitting them,” he said. Following protests from the Opposition side, he adjourned the House till 12.
Nineteen members -- seven from the Trinamool Congress, six from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), three from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and one from the Communist Party of India (CPI) -- were suspended on Tuesday for “misconduct” by showing “utter disregard to the House and authority of the chair”.
The monsoon session began on July 18 but has been marked by acrimony on issues of high inflation and GST (goods and services tax) on household essentials.The Opposition accuses the government of not allowing a discussion on price rise and other important issues but the government claimes the disruptions were unwarranted as it had agreed to the demand in meeting of the business advisory committee, which allocates time for parliamentary discussion and debates.
