As protests intensify against the suspension of numerous opposition MPs from both Houses of Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge launched a vehement attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stating that such actions are detrimental to democracy. Opposition members staged demonstrations in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue within Parliament premises on Tuesday, expressing their dissent over suspending MPs for the remainder of the ongoing winter session.
Congress president and Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge tweets, “The suspension of a total of 141 Opposition MPs from Parliament reinforces our charge that an autocratic BJP wants to demolish Democracy in this country. We all know that key Bills like the Criminal Law… pic.twitter.com/1QIn2RhFEh
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, reacting to the suspension of over 40 Lok Sabha MPs, including himself, accused the BJP of aiming for an “Opposition-mukt Lok Sabha” and warned of a similar move in the Rajya Sabha. Tharoor expressed concern about the future of parliamentary democracy in India and highlighted the suspension as an attempt to pass bills without proper discussion.
#WATCH | On suspension of more than 40 MPs from Lok Sabha, including his own, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, “…It is clear that they want an Opposition-mukt Lok Sabha and they will do something similar in Rajya Sabha. At this point, unfortunately, we have to start writing… pic.twitter.com/mh9LeXEgiB
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
- Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha MP Dimple Yadav termed her suspension as the government’s failure and lamented the impact on the winter session.
#WATCH | “This is ultimately the failure of the government,” says Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha MP Dimple Yadav on her suspension for the remainder of the winter session of Parliament. pic.twitter.com/2kxN9HNQaD
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
- Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, addressing the suspension of 49 more opposition MPs from Parliament, characterized the situation as “anarchy” and criticized the BJP for lacking faith in the parliamentary system.
#WATCH | On 49 more opposition MPs suspended from Parliament for the remainder of Winter Session, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, “It is nothing but anarchy inside the Parliament. They (BJP) do not have an iota of faith in the parliamentary system in our country.” pic.twitter.com/9t58ceZsxp
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
- AAP Lok Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Rinku, suspended from the House for the winter session, accused the government of engaging in “dirty politics” and suppressing voices that speak the truth.
#WATCH | “Those speaking the truth and asking questions have been suspended from the House today. The public is seeing the kind of dirty politics happening in the Parliament,” says AAP Lok Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Rinku on his suspension from the House for Winter session. pic.twitter.com/GpSgKA4VMx
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
- Lok Sabha MP Farooq Abdullah faced suspension for the remainder of the winter session.
#WATCH | Lok Sabha MP Farooq Abdullah suspended for the remainder of the Winter session of Parliament
“Who does the Police come under? What would have happened if he (Union Home Minister) had made a statement in Parliament on the incident (security breach)?” pic.twitter.com/WDstvY2Lz1
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
- Congress MP Digvijaya Singh linked the suspension of 92 MPs to the recent security breach incident in Parliament. He accused the BJP of undermining democracy and orchestrating a pre-planned attack to abolish parliamentary democracy, drawing parallels to Hitler’s tactics. Singh raised concerns about the potential danger posed by the security breach.
#WATCH | Delhi: On Parliament security breach incident and 92 MPs being suspended, Congress MP Digvijaya Singh says, “The organisation (BJP) which Narendra Modi represents as the Prime Minister of the country, is absolutely unaware of the concept of democracy… This was a… pic.twitter.com/aMDdhoZFku
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
- Congress MP Karti Chidambaram questioned the BJP’s intentions, asking whether they aimed for an “Opposition-less Parliament.”
#WATCH | On suspension of 92 Opposition MPs, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram says, “Do they want an Opposition-less Parliament? Is this what they are working towards?” pic.twitter.com/kgMdhH6Mwe
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
- Opposition MP Danish Ali criticized the suspension of 49 MPs, including himself, from Lok Sabha, questioning the Speaker’s assertion of violating parliamentary decorum. He found it perplexing that asking questions to the government was deemed a violation while instances of verbal abuse went unpunished. Ali highlighted the absence of action against the BJP regarding the Parliament security breach and noted the silence of the Prime Minister and Home Minister. Expressing bewilderment, he stated, “I don’t understand when did asking questions to the government qualify to be a violation.” His remarks reflect broader concerns about the justification and consistency of parliamentary disciplinary actions.
#WATCH | On suspension of 49 Opposition MPs from Lok Sabha, including his own, Danish Ali says, “It is strange that the Speaker says that we are being suspended as we have violated the Parliamentary decorum. How does asking questions to the Government qualify as violation of… pic.twitter.com/oit7uqsWLV
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
- BJP MP Dinesh Sharma says, “It is the democratic right of the opposition to oppose. But using unparliamentary language, showing inappropriate placards, getting out and then filming of the whole incident by someone who has been a national president of their party (Rahul Gandhi).
#WATCH | Delhi: BJP MP Dinesh Sharma says, “It is the democratic right of the opposition to oppose. But using unparliamentary language, showing inappropriate placards, getting out and then filming of the whole incident by someone who has been a national president of their party… https://t.co/g3SZZ9gNX2 pic.twitter.com/idNmGVSfKm
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
The suspensions, stemming from disruptions during the ongoing Winter Session, have sparked outrage among opposition leaders, who see these actions as an assault on parliamentary democracy. The protests come in the wake of 78 opposition MPs being suspended for their role in disrupting proceedings and demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the Parliament security breach incident. The suspensions, combined with previous removals, constitute the largest such action in the history of the Indian Parliament.
Stay tuned for more updates.
