NEW DELHI, 14 Dec: The Congress on Thursday described the suspension of opposition MPs a “murder of democracy,” and accused the BJP government of reducing Parliament to a “rubber stamp.”
As many as 14 opposition MPs were suspended from Parliament for the remainder of the winter session for disrupting proceedings over the Lok Sabha security breach issue.
While TMC’s Derek O’Brien was suspended from the Rajya Sabha, 13 opposition MPs, including nine from the Congress and the DMK’s Kanimozhi, were suspended from the Lok Sabha.
In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that, “having endangered national security and the safety of the temple of our democracy – the Parliament – the BJP is now shooting the messenger.”
“The suspension of 14 opposition MPs from the Parliament because they wanted a discussion on the grave security breach is SUSPENSION OF DEMOCRACY! What is their crime?” he said.
“Is it a crime to urge the union home minister to make a statement in the House? Is it a crime to want a discussion on the perilous security breach? Does it not invoke draconian shades of dictatorship, a hallmark of the present dispensation?” the Congress president asked.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said that what happened in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday was deeply worrying and “what happened in the House on Thursday is bizarre.”
An MP from Tamil Nadu, who was not even present in the House and was in fact out of New Delhi, got suspended for disrupting proceedings, Ramesh said, adding that “meanwhile, the BJP MP who facilitated the intruders faces zero consequences.”
The government decided to withdraw the suspension of DMK MP SR Parthiban from the Lok Sabha as he was not present in the House and his name was included with those to be suspended by mistake.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said, “A horrible, undemocratic move to suspend opposition MPs for demanding an answer from the government on the shocking security breach in Parliament yesterday.”
“On one hand five MPs were suspended for demanding accountability, while on the other hand, there was no action against the BJP MP who facilitated the entry of the miscreants,” he said.
“This is a murder of democracy. The BJP government has reduced Parliament to a rubber stamp. Not even the pretence of a democratic process is left,” Venugopal said.
Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, also slammed the government over the issue, saying it is trying to distract from the main issue of security breach. “Democracy is being ruthlessly sacrificed,” he told reporters.
Later, the Congress, in a post on X, said that, while opposition MPs were suspended, BJP MP Pratap Simha, on whose recommendation two intruders got public gallery passes, was “commended.”
Amid opposition protests demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit 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 TN Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Jothimani, Ramya Haridas and Dean Kuriakose (all from the Congress) were suspended when the first resolution was adopted, VK Sreekandan, Benny Behanan, Mohammad Jawed and Manickam Tagore (also all of Congress), PR Natarajan and S Venkatesan of the CPI (M), Kanimozhi and SR Parthiban of the DMK and K Subbarayan of the CPI were suspended through the second resolution.
However, Parthiban’s name was later removed from the list of suspended MPs after some opposition MPs said that Parthiban was not present in the House.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said, “There is comedy in this suspension. SR Parthiban has been named in the list; he wasn’t even in the Lok Sabha today. I guess they can’t make out one Tamilian from another.” (PTI)
