Many MPs were suspended as 12 opposition MPs were suspended from Rajya Sabha on Monday for the entire winter session of the Parliament for their “unruly” and unethical conduct and behavior in the previous session in August, even as the Opposition termed the suspension as “undemocratic and in violation of all the Rules of Procedure” of the Upper House.
The suspended MPs are – six from the Congress, two each from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from CPI and CPM. The motion to suspend Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, Ripun Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Nasir Hussain and Akhilesh Prasad Singh of the Congress; Dola Sen, Shanta Chhetri of Trinamool Congress; Priyanka Chaturvedi, Anil Desai of Shiv Sena; Elamaram Kareem of CPM; and Binoy Viswam of CPI was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi. It was passed by voice vote despite objections by opposition parties.
Leaders of the 12 opposition parties unitedly condemned the suspension and termed it as “unwarranted and undemocratic” and said this was done in “violation of all the Rules of Procedure of Rajya Sabha”. Asked about the suspension of the MP’s, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the Opposition has been continuously disrupting the house but on August 11, the last day of the Monsoon session it “crossed all limits” and wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu and said the monsoon session of Parliament was the most “reprehensible and shameful session in the history of our Parliamentary democracy”They manhandled marshals, tried to attack the security staff…MPs from opposition parties danced at the Secretary General’s table.
The Rajya Sabha chairman also shut down complaints about the lack of precedent for the punishment of MPs for actions in a previous session. Rule 256 says an MP can be suspended “for a period not exceeding the remainder of the session.” While speaking on the ruckus at the Monsoon Session in August, for which the 12 MPs were suspended, Naidu said: “The bitter experience of the last Monsoon Session continues to haunt most of us. I was expecting and waiting for the leading lights of the House to take lead in expressing outrage over what happened in the last Session.”
