Four Congress members of the Lok Sabha — Manickam Tagore, T.N. Prathapan, Jothimani and Ramya Haridas — were suspended from the House for the rest of the Monsoon Session under Rule 374 for obstructing the proceedings of the House on Monday. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, termed the action an attempt to "muzzle the Opposition's voice".
This came after Speaker Om Birla had warned earlier, again on Monday, that MPs who brought placards into the House will not be allowed to participate in the proceedings, before he adjourned the House till 3 p.m. The House proceedings had convened at 2 p.m. on Monday due to the swearing-in ceremony of President Droupadi Murmu in the Central Hall of Parliament in the morning. When the House convened, Opposition members, demanding a discussion on price rise and levying of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on essentials, protested waving placards and raising slogans, some even in the well of the House.
