New Delhi, Feb 3: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday suspended eight opposition members for the remainder of the Budget Session following scenes of disorder in the House. The group, consisting of seven Congress MPs and one from the CPI-M, was penalized for “unruly behavior” that included tearing documents and throwing them at the presiding officer’s chair.
The action came as the House reconvened at 3 pm after several prior adjournments. Presiding Officer Dilip Saikia named the members after they reportedly climbed onto the Secretary General’s table and disrupted proceedings. Shortly after, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved a formal resolution for their suspension, which was adopted by a voice vote.
“The members acted in utter disregard to the House and the authority of the Chair,” Rijiju said while moving the resolution. He mentioned that the lawmakers’ conduct had crossed the limits of parliamentary decorum.
The suspended members include Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Manickam Tagore, Prashant Padole, and Dean Kuriakose of the Congress, along with S Venkatesan of the CPI-M. The move has intensified the ongoing standoff between the treasury and opposition benches over several sensitive issues.
The friction began on Monday when Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was blocked from quoting an article about former Army chief MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir. Opposition members have also sought debates on a recent India-US trade deal and land-clearing actions at Varanasi’s Manikarnika Ghat. Following the vote, Congress members staged a protest outside the Parliament building, vowing to continue their demonstration until the session concludes on April 2.
