Amid opposition protests, 19 MPs suspended from the Rajya Sabha

On Tuesday, 19 members of the Rajya Sabha were expelled after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Prakash Birla took action against four Congress members the previous day. As a result of opposition rallies against the government over inflation, more than 20 MPs will no longer be permitted to attend the monsoon session of parliament. The Rajya Sabha suspension on Tuesday set a new record for the most lawmakers suspended in one day.

Tuesday saw the beginning of legal proceedings against seven Trinamool Congress MPs. The lawmakers who have been suspended have been charged with disorderly conduct.

The Trinamool Congress MPs who have been suspended are Sushmita Dev, Mausam Noor, Dr. Santanu Sen, Dola Sen, Santanu Sen, Nadimal Haque, Abhi Ranjan Biswas, and Shanta Chhetri. A.A. Rahim of the CPI-M, Mohammad Abdullah of the Left, and Kanimozhi of the DMK are also prohibited. The list also includes M. Mohamed Abdulla, Kalyanasundaram, NR Elango, and M. Shanmugam, all of whom are DMK leaders.

This is the first time in a number of years that so many legislators have become the targets of legal action. Sumitra Mahajan, the then-President of the Lok Sabha, suspended 45 members of the TDP and the AIADMK in January 2019 for persistently disturbing business. Opposition protests have been ongoing since the monsoon session began last week over a number of problems, most notably inflation and the increase in the cost of basic necessities.

However, an advisory prohibiting sloganeering, protests, and the use of banners on Parliament grounds was released before the start of the monsoon session.