LS suspends 8 Opposition MPs for rest of Budget session over 'unruly behaviour'
Chair Dilip Saikia named the members for disorderly conduct, including seven Congress MPs, leading to suspension action
Congress MPs, including Rahul and Priyanka, protest at the Parliament complex against the suspension. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi, Feb 3: Eight Opposition MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha on Tuesday for what the Chair described as “unruly behaviour”.
Those suspended include 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).
The action came shortly after the House reconvened at 3 pm following multiple adjournments. Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair, named eight members for disorderly conduct.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju then moved a resolution seeking their suspension for the remainder of the Budget session, which is scheduled to conclude on April 2.
The House adopted the resolution by a voice vote amid continued uproar, after which proceedings were adjourned for the day.
Moving the resolution, Rijiju said the members had acted in “utter disregard” of the authority of the House and the Chair.
He alleged that the MPs tore papers, threw them towards the Chair and attempted to climb onto the table of the Secretary General. The members were subsequently named by the Chair for their conduct, he added.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi authenticated a copy of an article in the Lok Sabha which cited former army chief M M Naravane's unpublished "memoir" but it failed to end the impasse over the matter, leading to a brief adjournment.
The suspensions are expected to intensify the confrontation between the Opposition and the government, which has been triggered by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi being disallowed from citing an article based on excerpts from an unpublished memoir of former Army chief General M.M. Naravane on the India–China conflict of 2020.
Since Monday afternoon, the Lok Sabha has witnessed repeated disruptions after Gandhi was denied permission to refer to the article.
Congress members have argued that the issue concerns national security and warrants discussion, while the Chair has maintained that references to unpublished material are not permitted.
Following the suspensions, Congress MPs led by Rahul Gandhi staged a protest outside the Parliament building, accusing the government of stifling Opposition voices.
Opposition leaders later said the suspended members would continue their protest outside the House.
The Budget session has seen frequent adjournments in recent days, with the latest confrontation further clouding prospects of normal business in the Lok Sabha.
PTI