New Delhi (TIP)- The number of MPs suspended from both Houses of Parliament in the eight years since 2014 — when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance rose to power — has gone up almost threefold compared to the previous eight years, data accessed by ThePrint from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Secretariats shows. While at least 51 MPs were suspended from the two Houses between the monsoon session in 2006 and February 2014 (the Lok Sabha elections were held in April 2014), at least 139 MPs have been suspended for misconduct and unruly behaviour between the monsoon session in August 2015 and now.

On Monday, July 25,  4 opposition MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha, and this was followed by 20 MPs being suspended from the Rajya Sabha Tuesday and Wednesday for disrupting proceedings.

Parliamentary experts as well as opposition MPs agree that there has been a huge spike in suspension cases in the past few years, unlike earlier, when such instances were few and far between.

P.D.T. Achary, former secretary general of the Lok Sabha, told ThePrint: “Of late, cases of MPs getting suspended have more than doubled. It indicates that there is great hostility between the treasury and opposition benches, where both treat each other as enemy instead of political adversary.”

Not only does this impede the smooth functioning of Parliament, where bills are being passed without any discussion, the growing animosity also does not augur well for a parliamentary democracy, Achary said. “It’s a sign of a serious crisis…. Parliament cannot function like this. Earlier, there used to be healthy interactions among members of both sides. There was a lot of bonhomie. It was a sign of a mature democracy. That tradition of interactions is breaking down now,” he added. Rajya Sabha MP and former finance minister P Chidambaram told ThePrint that the Narendra Modi government is “strangling democracy” by not allowing any discussion or debate in Parliament.

“If debate is not allowed and if protest is not allowed, why have democracy, elections, and a Parliament? The government is strangling democracy. It is dying a slow death. Let all citizens be aware of the danger,” he said.

Chidambaram cited the suspension of 19 opposition MPs from the Rajya Sabha Tuesday as an example, saying, “The deputy chairman said the 19 MPs were suspended because of their ‘misconduct’ in the House. He should have asked what ‘conduct’ of the government caused the alleged ‘misconduct’.”

Source: The Print