- Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Fourteen MPs were suspended last week, days after two intruders entered the parliament and burst coloured smoke canisters. On December 18, action was taken against 78 more.
By: Shubham Ghosh
SHOWDOWN between India’s Narendra Modi government and the opposition continued on Monday (18) when 78 parliamentarians from the opposition ranks were suspended for protesting in demand for a statement from home minister Amit Shah over the security breach in parliament on December 13.
Fourteen MPs were suspended last week over the same. Monday’s suspensions mean the total number of opposition parliamentarians suspended in the ongoing winter session stands at 92, which is unprecedented.
Thirty MPs were suspended in the Lok Sabha or lower chamber of the parliament for the remaining part of the session. Three were suspended till a report was submitted on their conduct by the privileges committee. In the Rajya Sabha or the upper chamber, the corresponding figures are 35 and 11, respectively. Derek O’Brien, a senior opposition member of the Rajya Sabha, was also suspended after he sought a talk on the breach.
#WATCH | On his suspension from the Lok Sabha, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, "All leaders, including me, have been suspended. We have been demanding for days to reinstate our MPs who were suspended earlier and that the Home Minister come to the… pic.twitter.com/y19hCUY7iG
— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2023
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of the Indian National Congress in the Lok Sabha, slammed the government accusing it of running in a dictatorial manner and treating the parliament as the headquarters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
“This government has reached the apex of dictatorship. They have the majority, and they are wielding the stick of power. They want to run Parliament like a party office. But that cannot happen. We were eager for a discussion. The productivity of Parliament before December 13 is for all to see. It seems they find it easier to talk to the media, but are scared to speak in Parliament,” he said.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the government could now “bulldoze important pending legislations, crush any dissent, without any debate” with the parliament turning opposition-less.
First, intruders attacked Parliament.
Then Modi Govt attacking Parliament & DemocracyAll Democratic norms are being thrown into the dustbin by an autocratic Modi Govt by suspending 47 MPs.
We have two simple and genuine demands –
1. The Union Home Minister should make a…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 18, 2023
Jairam Ramesh, another senior Congress MP and former federal minister, said in a post on X that the opposition were protesting since the government refused to accept their demand for a statement from Shah.
Not only in the Lok Sabha, today was a bloodbath in the Rajya Sabha with 45 INDIA party MPs getting suspended for demanding a statement by the Home Minister on the December 13th security breach, and for demanding that the Leader of the Opposition be allowed to speak.… https://t.co/iwQN4G8yPZ
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 18, 2023
Taking a dig at prime minister Narendra Modi who told a leading newspaper in an interview that the incident was “very serious” but there was “no need to debate” and that a “detailed investigation” should be undertaken, Ramesh said, “The Prime Minister speaks to a leading newspaper on the very serious December 13th security breach in the Lok Sabha. The Home Minister speaks to a TV channel on the security breach. Parliament is in session. INDIA parties are demanding a statement from the Home Minister in both Houses on the shocking incidents. It is a simple, straightforward and legitimate demand. But Home Minister refuses to make a statement which is his duty and responsibility.”
The Prime Minister speaks to a leading newspaper on the very serious December 13th security breach in the Lok Sabha.
The Home Minister speaks to a TV channel on the security breach.
Parliament is in session.
INDIA parties are demanding a statement from the Home Minister in…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 18, 2023
On the opposition’s demand for the Home Minister’s statement, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the security inside the House is under the secretariat’s purview and that it will not let the federal government to intervene.
“The government cannot intervene in (responsibilities of) Lok Sabha secretariat. We will not allow that either,” he said last week.
Shocking scenes were witnessed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday when two persons jumped from desk and desk and burst coloured smoke from canisters. Two others carried out similar acts outside the parliament. Six people have been arrested in connection with the incident till now and slapped with a case under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Eight security personnel were also suspended over dereliction of duty.
The incident happened on the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 terror attack on the parliament that resulted in deaths of nine people.
