The eight Members of Parliament (MP), who were suspended by the President of Rajya Sabha, have refused to leave the premises and have started a protest.
These MPs, Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen of TMC, Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congressional leaders Rajeev Satav, Ripun Bora and Syed Nasir Hussain and KK Ragesh and Elamaram Kareem of the CPI (M), carry banners. and brochures that say “we will fight for farmers.”
Some MPs from opposition parties also protested in front of the Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises against the suspension of the eight members.
“I condemn this kind of expulsion of the Rajya Sabha members in such a blatant and undemocratic manner. We will protest to restore the status quo before our members in Rajya Sabha, ”said Congressman Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
These eight deputies were suspended a day after the uproar in the upper house of Parliament during the approval of the agrarian bills. The behavior of these parliamentarians was criticized by the leaders of the ruling party and the government.
The Speaker of the House, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, described the behavior of the members as “unfortunate, unacceptable and reprehensible” and that it has “tarnished” the image of Parliament, in particular the House of Elders.
Two key farm bills were passed on Sunday by Rajya Sabha with a voice vote amid unprecedented rebellious scenes by protesting opposition members demanding that the proposed legislation be referred to a House panel for further scrutiny.
After the bills were passed, the opposition called it a “black day,” while members of the ruling party sought action against the parliamentarians responsible for the uproar. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, at a press conference on Sunday night, said the conduct has tarnished the image of Parliament.
On Monday, when the proceedings began, the government presented a motion for the suspension of eight deputies.
Amidst the opposition, the motion was adopted by oral vote and President Naidu asked them to leave the Chamber, but they remained present and protested against the ruling.
“When the president appoints a member, that member has to leave the House. Never before has a member defied the president’s orders. Eight suspended deputies had misbehaved, it was a kind of Goondaism. They have shown that they do not trust democracy, ”said the Union’s parliamentary affairs minister, Pralhad Joshi.
As the protests continued, Naidu postponed the procedure for 20 minutes. The House saw three more postponements as the suspended members remained in the House and opposition parties protested against the decision before the procedure was postponed for the day.
.
