New Delhi: Seven Congress MPs and one member of the CPI(M) were suspended from the Lok Sabha on Tuesday for the remainder of the ongoing Budget Session after being accused of unruly conduct, escalating the confrontation between the government and the opposition.
The suspended MPs were named by the Chair after they allegedly tore papers and threw them towards the Chair during repeated disruptions in the House. The suspension will remain in force till the conclusion of the Budget Session on April 2.
The action followed a turbulent day in Parliament, where opposition members protested against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi being denied permission to refer to an article citing excerpts from an unpublished memoir of former Army chief General M M Naravane on the 2020 India-China border clash. The opposition has also been pressing the government on issues ranging from the India-US trade deal announced by US President Donald Trump to allegations surrounding a demolition drive at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi.
When the House reassembled at 3 pm after several adjournments, Dilip Saikia, who was presiding, named eight members for disorderly conduct. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju subsequently moved a resolution seeking their suspension for the remaining duration of the session.
Rijiju told the House that the members had shown complete disregard for parliamentary decorum and the authority of the Chair. He alleged that the MPs not only tore documents and hurled them towards the Chair but also attempted to climb onto the table of the Secretary General. The resolution was passed by a voice vote amid continued uproar, after which the House was adjourned for the day.
The MPs suspended from the Lok Sabha are Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Prashant Padole and Dean Kuriakose of the Congress, and S Venkatesan of the CPI(M).
Following the suspension, Congress MPs led by Rahul Gandhi staged a protest outside the Parliament complex, terming the action undemocratic. Opposition leaders later said the protest would continue outside the House as well.
The Lok Sabha has seen repeated disruptions since Monday afternoon over the refusal to allow Gandhi to raise references linked to Naravane’s unpublished book, deepening the deadlock between the treasury benches and the opposition.
