NEW DELHI : Suspension of 25 Congress members from Lok Sabha brought together several opposition parties who boycotted the Lower House and paralysed the Rajya Sabha today besides staging a joint protest in the Parliament House complex.
Congress, Trinamool Congress, JD(U), Muslim League and NCP boycotted the proceedings of Lok Sabha and members of the Left, SP and RJD walked out soon after the House met as a mark of solidarity with the MPs suspended for five working days by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan yesterday for causing disruptions.
In the Rajya Sabha, Congress and several other opposition parties created pandemonium over the issue, leading to a washout of the day’s proceedings.
Outside, Congress MPs, led by party President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, staged a sit-in near Mahatma Gandhi’s statue along with leaders of SP, RJD and AAP.
The opposition benches in the Lok Sabha wore a deserted look as the House conducted its listed business for the day and passed the Railways Appropriations Bill 2015.
This was despite Tathagata Satpathy (BJD) making a strong plea against taking up any legislative business in the absence of the several opposition including Congress.
“I would request that while the government is troubled with the proceedings in the House and while we admire your perseverence and your patience in dealing with the situation which has troubled the whole country, we would request you to decrease the punishment that you have meted out to the opposition,” he said.
Satpathy underlined that “in parliamentary democracy, opposition is a part of the process. So, no government business should take place without the presence of the opposition.”
AIADMK leader P Venugopal, who was the only opposition member sitting on the first column of opposition benches in the wake of the suspension and the boycott in Lok Sabha, sought to raise the issue of suspension but was disallowed by the Speaker.
Mahajan told Venugopal that he cannot raise the issue of suspension as the matter cannot be discussed in the House. She said she allowed him to speak, thinking that he wanted to raise issue concerning fishermen.
BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab had also indicated that he wanted to raise the issue after Venugopal.
When Rajya Sabha met for the day, over two dozen Congress members, mostly wearing black arm bands and carrying placards, rushed to the Well of the House raising anti-government slogans. One of them also waved a black cloth but was sternly asked not to do so by Deputy Chairman P J Kurien.
The House saw vociferous protests by Congress members, who also shouted slogans like ‘Modi teri taanashahi nahi chalegi’ (Prime Minister, your dictatorial attitude won’t be allowed), ‘Chuppi todo, Modi ji’ (Break your silence, Modi ji) and ‘We want justice’.
They also demanded the resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for allegedly helping controversial former IPL chief Lalit Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the Vyapam scam.
The House saw the first adjournment till noon soon after it assembled at 1100 hours, then again till 1400 hours and finally calling it a day minutes after it met for the third time. (agencies)
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