Opposition leaders of the I.N.D.I.A alliance staged a protest near the Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex on Friday, a day after 14 MPs were suspended. Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was suspended from the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, while 13 opposition MPs, including nine from the Congress and the DMK’s Kanimozhi, were suspended from the Lok Sabha.
O’Brien joined the opposition MPs, wearing a T-shirt indicating he was on a ‘silent protest’. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also participated in the demonstration. The suspended MPs held placards stating they were suspended for speaking up, while the “culprit BJP MP” roamed free. The Congress has been demanding strict action against BJP MP Pratap Simha, who provided visitor passes to the intruders. The protesting MPs also demanded the revocation of their suspensions.
“Suspension and expulsion are nothing new for this government. Last week, Mahua Moitra was expelled. This week, the BJP MP from Mysore who issued the passes for the intruders is moving freely, and I and my colleagues have been suspended for raising the voice of the people of India, a very genuine demand that the home minister and the prime minister should speak in Parliament,” said Hibi Eden, one of the MPs suspended from the Lok Sabha.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day amid opposition protests. Congress MPs T N Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Jothimani, Ramya Haridas, Dean Kuriakose, VK Sreekandan, Benny Behanan, Mohammed Jawaid, and Manickam Tagore; CPI-M MP PR Natarajan and S Venkatesan; the DMK’s Kanimozhi, and the CPI’s K Subbarayan were suspended from the Lok Sabha on Thursday for disrupting proceedings.
