Parliament crackdown: 8 Opposition MPs suspended for tossing papers at speaker

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Speaker Om Birla has taken strict action due to the massive uproar and indiscipline of the opposition in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. 8 opposition MPs have been suspended for the remaining period of the budget session on the charge of throwing pieces of paper towards the Speaker's chair and behaving indecently in the House. Due to the strong uproar, the proceedings of the House could not run smoothly even today and it has been adjourned till 11 am tomorrow. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had presented the proposal for the suspension of these MPs as soon as the proceedings started at 3 pm, which was passed by voice vote.

Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of China, causing uproar

The uproar in the House began when Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi raised the China issue during his speech. Gandhi persisted, but opposition from the ruling party prevented him from completing his speech due to the uproar. The situation worsened when, shouting slogans, opposition MPs trooped into the well and tossed pieces of paper toward the Speaker's podium. This disruption led to several interruptions throughout the day.

These MPs were punished

The eight MPs suspended by the Speaker include leaders from the Congress and other opposition parties. The MPs affected by the action include Gurjeet Aujla, Manickam Tagore, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Dean Kuriakose, S. Venkatesh (CPM), Hibi Eden, and Prashant Padole. The government says that disrespecting the Chair will not be tolerated under any circumstances, which is why this tough decision has been taken.

Congress's challenge: If you have the courage, suspend everyone

Just before this action, Congress had issued an open challenge to the government. Congress MP KC Venugopal defended the protesting MPs by climbing on the table, saying that Rahul Gandhi was doing his duty and the government was obstructing him. Venugopal challenged the government, saying that if it had the courage, it should suspend not just a few MPs, but the entire opposition. The opposition alleges that the government is trying to suppress their voice.