New Delhi (TIP) – As many as 14 opposition MPs were suspended from Parliament for the remainder of the winter session for disrupting proceedings, as the Lok Sabha security breach incident snowballed into a major row on Thursda, December 14, y with the government asking the opposition not to “politicise” the “grave national issue” and the Congress, Trinamool Congress and others demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah.
While TMC’s Derek O’Brien was suspended in the Rajya Sabha, as many as 13 opposition MPs, including nine from the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Kanimozhi, were suspended from the Lok Sabha for disrupting the proceedings.
Amid opposition protests, demanding a statement from Home Minister Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the security breach incident, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved two resolutions separately for the suspension of the MPs for disrupting the Lok Sabha proceedings. The MPs had moved into the well of the Lok Sabha raising slogans, questioning the security breach, and demanding a statement from the government. While T N Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Jothimani, Ramya Haridas and Dean Kuriakose, all from the Congress, were suspended when the first resolution was adopted, four Congress MPs — VK Sreekandan, Benny Behanan, Mohammed Jawaid and Manickam Tagore — along with PR Natarajan (CPI-M), Kanimozhi (DMK), K Subbarayan (CPI), SR Parthiban (DMK) and S Venkatesan (CPI-M) were suspended through the second resolution.
Later, after several opposition MPs pointed out that Parthiban was named among the suspended MPs even though he was not present in Delhi but was in Chennai, his suspension was revoked.
Soon after the Rajya Sabha House met at noon after an adjournment, chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar warned O’Brien against his unruly behaviour and for disrupting the proceedings. He asked O’Brien to leave the House, but the opposition MP did not relent and protested instead. The chairman then allowed Leader of the House Piyush Goyal to move a motion to suspend O’Brien under Rule 256. The motion to suspend O’Brien for the remainder of the session was adopted with a voice vote.
O’Brien did not leave the Rajya Sabha chambers even after suspension and the matter of his conduct was referred to the privileges committee of the house. The committee has been asked to submit a report on O’Brien’s conduct in three months.