NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu raising concern over the unlawful suspension of opposition leaders from the parliament. In a letter to Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the Leader of the Opposition requested that under the proviso to Rule 256(2) a motion may be made resolving that the suspension of the aforementioned 19 members be terminated.
“On 26 July 2022, 19 members of Rajya Sabha belonging to various Opposition parties have been suspended on a motion being moved and adopted by the House under Rule 256 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Council of States (Rajya Sabha) for the remainder of this week, i.e. till 30 July 2022. I request that under the provison to Rule 256(2) a motion may be made resolving that the suspension of the aforementioned 19 members be terminated,” Kharge said in a letter. Taking to Twitter, Kharge shared a letter saying that the Opposition is the real voice of the citizens of India and the Modi government cannot be allowed to run these undemocratic one-way proceedings by suppressing people’s voice.
“Wrote to @VPSecretariat raising the concern over the unlawful suspension of opposition leaders from the parliament. Opposition is the real voice of citizens of India and the Modi govt cannot be allowed to run these undemocratic one-way proceedings by suppressing people’s voice,” he said. Earlier in the day, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh was on Wednesday suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remainder of this week for “throwing paper on the Chair” a day ago during proceedings of the House.
Singh is the 20th MP from the Upper House who has been suspended for disrupting proceedings. This is the highest number of single-batch suspensions in the Upper House. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh announced the suspension of the AAP leader, saying Sanjay Singh is being suspended from the House for the remaining part of this week for disrupting House proceedings on Tuesday and showing disregard to the chair.
It was mentioned during his suspension that Singh threw paper at the chair on Tuesday during proceedings of the House. The suspension of Singh followed a motion moved by Junior minister of parliamentary affairs V. Muraleedharan for the “misconduct” and “utter disregard to the House and authority of the Chair”. The motion was carried out by a voice vote.
The move comes a day after Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman suspended 19 Opposition MPs from the House for the remainder of this week for repeatedly disrupting proceedings. This was the highest number of single-batch suspensions in the Upper House. In November last year, 12 Opposition MPs were suspended for the entire Winter Session for the ruckus they had created during the Monsoon Session over the farm bills.
Seven of the suspended members belong to TMC, six MPs are from DMK, three TRS, two CPM and one CPI. TMC’s Sushmita Dev, Mausam Noor, Shanta Chhetri, Dola Sen, Santanu Sen, Abhi Ranjan Biswar, Md. Nadimul Haque; DMK’s Kanimozhi NVN Somu, M Hamamed Abdulla, S Kalyanasundaram, R Girranjan, NR Elango, M Shanmugam, M Shanmugam; TRS’s B Lingaiah Yadav, Ravihandra Vaddiraju, Damodar Rao Divakonda; CPI(M)’s AA Rahim, V Sivadasan; and CPI’s Sandosh Kumar P.
Earlier in the day, a meeting of Opposition parties was held today to discuss the issue of suspension of MPs and to chalk out a strategy for the floor of the house. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that the opposition will submit a request to the Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha to rescind the suspension of the members who raised their voices against the price rise.
Meanwhile, Congress MPs protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the suspension of opposition MPs from Parliament. TMC MPs who are suspended from Rajya Sabha for this week for misconduct also protested in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament The Monsoon Session of Parliament commenced on July 18 and will continue till August 12. There will be 18 sittings during the Session.
Source: ANI
