In a record-breaking action, as many as
49 Opposition members faced suspension from Parliament for unruly behaviour and
disregarding the directions of the Chair today. This has taken the total number
of MPs suspended this session to a whopping 141, the highest ever.
This follows the suspension of an
unprecedented 78 MPs from both Houses of Parliament a day before.
National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah,
Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Karti Chidambaram, NCP’s Supriya Sule and
Samajwadi Party’s Dimple Yadav are among the MPs suspended by Lok Sabha Speaker
Om Birla for disrupting proceedings today.
The Opposition MPs have been protesting
in both Houses of Parliament over the massive security breach in Lok Sabha last
week. They have been demanding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah address the
Parliament on the security failure due to which two intruders entered the Lok
Sabha chamber, jumped from desk and desk and released coloured smoke from
canisters.
The Lok Sabha Speaker has maintained
that any security-related incident in the House comes under the purview of the
secretariat, and it will not let the centre intervene.
Out of these 141 MPs, most have been
suspended for the remainder of the session, while some await a report by the
privileges committee on their conduct in the House.
Today’s suspensions came after
Opposition members raised slogans and some of them came to the Well of the
House. Many of the MPs waved placards and some carried a morphed picture of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Speaker said it was against the rules to
bring placards into the House.
“This House belongs to you. We all have
decided that no one will bring placards inside the House. But you have come
here with placards. Even you have come to the podium. Is it correct? Please go
back to your seat. I am giving you a last warning,” he said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad
Joshi said all MPs, at the time of the inauguration of the new Parliament
building, had resolved not to come to the Well. He demanded action against the
MPs carrying the Prime Minister’s morphed picture.
“Both the buildings are under the Speaker’s
purview. We are following the Speaker’s order. A high-level enquiry is going
on. Saying that we will not allow the House to function … they (opposition)
should behave responsibly,” he said.
NE Watch Desk
