New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha adopted a motion to suspend three more members for “unruly behaviour” taking the tally of suspended Upper House MPs to 23. AAP’s Sushil Kumar Gupta and Sandeep Kumar Pathak and independent MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan were suspended.
As the House met after the first adjournment, the Opposition members continued with their protest in the well of the House.
Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh then named the three members for holding placards and shouting slogans in the well. The minister of state for parliamentary affairs V. Muraleedharan moved a motion to suspend the three members from the House for the remainder of the week. The motion was passed by a voice vote.
As Opposition members demanded a division of votes, Mr Harivansh asked the members to return to their seats to allow a division of votes, but the Opposition continued with their protest. Amid the continued uproar by Opposition members, he adjourned the House till 2 pm.
No sooner than the House reassembled at 3 pm after the second adjournment of the day, the Opposition members, led by AAP leaders trooped into the well and raised slogans.
Bhubaneswar Kalita, who was in the Chair, asked the three suspended members to withdraw from the House. The three MPs refused to leave the House and the Opposition continued to protest over various issues. Mr Kalita then adjourned the House till 4 pm.
Tiruchi Siva, who was in the Chair, adjourned Rajya Sabha for the day when it reassembled as the Opposition members continued their protests.
After the suspension Mr Pathak said, “Me and Sushil Gupta have been suspended. And, our only fault was that we were raising the issue pertaining to the death of people in Gujarat due to the consumption of spurious liquor.”
The AAP MP, who had recently been elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab, alleged that more than 75 people have died so far after consuming spurious liquor in Gujarat and many others are still sick requiring treatment, “but the BJP government in the state has concealed the actual figure.”
The suspended AAP MP said, “BJP and its government does not care about the people of Gujarat.”
“Just to keep the death toll at a low, the bodies of those dying in hospitals are being declared unclaimed. Many people, who had consumed the spurious liquor, are still coming to the hospital but they are not being admitted,” he claimed.
The Lok Sabha also witnessed furore leading to multiple adjournments as BJP members strongly protested against Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s remark on President Droupadi Murmu.
Meanwhile, five MPs who were suspended earlier, including CPI’s Santosh Kumar and AAP’s Sanjay Singh, spent the night near the Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex.
The Trunamul Congress’ Dola Sen and Santanu Sen were present at the site till around midnight. As the authorities did not grant permission for a tent, the suspended MPs slept under the sky to protest against the suspension of 24 MPs — 20 from the Rajya Sabha and four Congress members from the Lok Sabha — as part of a 50-hour non-stop dharna by the Opposition MPs.
“Revoke suspension of 24 MPs. Discuss,” tweeted TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien.
On Thursday morning, TMC MP Mausam Noor, who brought tea for the protesting MPs, said that the Opposition MPs will not apologise and the protest will continue.
The Opposition has been demanding a discussion on price rise, recent hike in GST and inflation in both Houses of Parliament. Both Houses of Parliament have been witnessing uproar since the first day of the Monsoon Session.
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