Rajya Sabha suspended three more MPs on Thursday for a week taking the total number of suspended MPs to 23. Experienced politicians point out that suspending such a large number of MPs is unheard in the history of parliamentary democracy. On Monday, AAP’s Sushil Kumar Gupta and Sandeep Kumar Pathak and independent MP from Assam Ajit Kumar Bhuyan were suspended for holding placards. Sources in the Rajya Sabha secretariat said it was for the first time that a provision in the rule book was used to suspend MPs holding placards.
The House adopted a motion moved by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan to suspend the three MPs. Earlier, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh named the three members for holding placards. The motion was then passed by a voice vote. When some Opposition members demanded division on the motion, Harivansh denied and said a division will be allowed only if the protesting members go back to their seats from the well of the House.
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The treasury benches also erupted in protests over Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury alleged remarks against President Droupadi Murmu. Though Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge said a discussion on a Lok Sabha member should not be allowed, Harivansh said the matter is an issue of a statement against the President. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Leader of the House and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal raised the matter in the Upper House.
Rajya Sabha witnessed two adjournments in the second half before it was finally adjourned for the day a little after 4 pm, following protest by the treasury benches as well as the Opposition members. Tiruchi Siva (DMK), the vice chairman, requested the three suspended members to withdraw from the House before the proceedings could begin. The members who were suspended in the first half continued to be preset in the House and joined the other members in raising slogans against price rise, Gujarat hooch tragedy and GST. The women members of the BJP led the protest in Rajya Sabha against the alleged sexist remarks made by Mr. Chowdhury by raising slogans and standing at their seats.
A source in the Rajya Sabha secretariat said as per the Parliamentary Customs and Conventions as codified in the ‘Handbook for the Members of Rajya Sabha’, “Production of exhibits on the Floor of the House is not in order” and the Members are required to note and observe these customs and conventions. Naidu has been all the while objecting to the Members holding placards during the proceedings of the House whenever it so happened and urged the Members to desist from the same. He also raised this matter in his meetings with the leaders of Opposition and asked them to advise members to stop displaying placards.
Senior politician and NCP leader PC Chacko, who was an MP for four terms and who also chaired the Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G spectrum allocations, said holding a placard is not a violation as it is just an expression of an opinion of the member. The BJP has brutal majority. So they are making new rules and conventions. The BJP must remember that it disrupted almost three sessions of Parliament in 2010 over 2G spectrum allocations. BJP leaders were standing on the table of the Houses and showing placards. A top leader even said disruption is a democratic right. Now, this is strange,” Mr. Chacko said. He added that the BJP is under the impression that it will always remain in power. “Spirit of Parliament is being killed by such suspensions. A party that justified disruption as democratic right is now killing the democratic right of Opposition,” he added.
