New Delhi, Dec 18: At least 30 Opposition MPs were suspended from Lok Sabha for the remainder of Winter Session after they protested in the chamber, demanding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah address the House on the massive security breach in Parliament last week.
The fresh round of suspension comes after 13 Opposition MPs faced the action last week for demanding a statement by the Home Minister.
Apart from this, three more MPs were suspended pending a report from the Privileges Committee. This means that a total of 46 MPs have been suspended, 43 of them for seeking the Home Minister's statement on the security breach.
The suspended MPs include Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress's leader in Lok Sabha, and Gaurav Gogoi, deputy leader of the party in the House. Trinamool MPs Kalyan Banerjee, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Saugata Ray and Satabdi Roy, and DMK members A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran are also on the list.
Speaking to the media, Mr Chowdhury said the government was behaving in a dictatorial manner and treating Parliament as BJP headquarters. He said the Opposition had been cooperating with the government ever since the session began.
Earlier, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X that the Opposition is protesting because of the government's refusal to accept their demand of a statement by the Home Minister.
"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," Mr Ramesh said in the post.
In his first remarks on the security breach, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Dainik Jagran newspaper in an interview that the incident was "very serious". He said there is "no need to debate" this and that a "detailed investigation" should be carried out.
On the Opposition's demand for the Home Minister's statement, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has maintained that security inside the House is under the secretariat's purview and that it will not let the Centre intervene. "The government cannot intervene in (responsibilities of) Lok Sabha secretariat. We will not allow that either," he said last week.
Shocking scenes played out in the Lok Sabha chamber Wednesday when two intruders jumped from desk to desk and deployed coloured smoke from canisters. Their co-accused staged a similar protest outside the Parliament. They have told investigators that their objective was to draw attention to Manipur violence, unemployment and farmers' problems. A total of six people have been arrested in connection with a case so far. Delhi Police have invoked the stringent anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, against the trespassers.
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