Parliament's Winter Session Roiled as 14 Opposition MPs Suspended for Unruly Conduct

Lok Sabha Speaker has suspended 14 Opposition Members of Parliament for the remainder of the Winter Session, citing their "utter disregard of the chair's directions." The move follows the demand from the Opposition for a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah concerning Wednesday's security breach in the Lok Sabha.

Initially, a resolution was passed to suspend five Congress MPs - TN Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Dean Kuriakose, Jothi Mani, and Ramya Haridas - for their behavior, with the union minister of parliamentary affairs, Pralhad Joshi, expressing concern over their conduct amid slogans by opposition MPs.

Subsequently, nine more MPs from opposition parties faced suspension, including Benny Behanan, VK Sreekandan, Mohammad Jawed, PR Natarajan, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, K Subrahmanyam, SR Parthiban, S Venkatesan, and Manickam Tagore.

This move follows the earlier suspension of TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien for alleged "unruly" conduct in the house, a decision made by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar after a motion moved by Leader of the House Piyush Goyal.

TMC MP Dola Sen criticized the suspension of Derek O'Brien, stating that raising issues related to national security is the opposition's duty. She emphasized that the situation could have been avoided if the Home Minister had provided a statement in the House.

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari urged the Chairman to reconsider the decision, highlighting the importance of MPs raising their voices. Tiwari drew attention to the security breach in the Lok Sabha, where intruders, who gained access through a BJP MP's recommendation, set off a smoke canister before being apprehended.

The opposition MPs are calling for accountability, seeking a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah and action against BJP MP Pratap Simha, through whose recommendation the intruders obtained access passes to the Lok Sabha. The security breach has intensified tensions in the Parliament, setting the stage for a heated Winter Session.

This Article is Published with Inputs from PTI