In an unexpected turn of events, the Lok Sabha Speaker took a firm action against ‘disruptive behavior’, suspending 14 Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) for the rest of the Winter Session. The suspension followed their reported “utter disregard for the chair’s directions.” This action increased the instability in Parliament, with the opposition seeking explanations about Wednesday’s security violation.

The suspended members are from several political parties, including the Congress, the CPIM, the DMK, and the CPI. The Lok Sabha initially voted a bill slamming five Congress members for their behavior during the session: TN Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Dean Kuriakose, Jothi Mani, and Ramya Haridas.

The session was disturbed by chants from opposition MPs, prompting Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to propose an act to suspend them. In spite of the chaos, he declared, “The above-mentioned members should be suspended from service in the house for the rest of the session.”

Later in the day, nine more MPs from other opposition parties experienced the same penalty. Benny Behanan, VK Sreekandan, Mohammad Jawed, PR Natarajan, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, K Subrahmanyam, SR Parthiban, S Venkatesan, and Manickam Tagore are among the suspended members.

The move to suspend MPs came up with opposition. Derek O’Brien, a TMC Rajya Sabha MP, faced suspension for “unruly” behavior. Following a motion moved by House Leader Piyush Goyal, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar suspended O’Brien for the session. TMC MP Dola Sen rejected the decision, stating that it is the Opposition’s duty to raise concerns, particularly for national security.

After two individuals broke security and entered the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors’ gallery, chaos broke out. Despite their attempts to disrupt proceedings, the intruders were quickly caught by MPs. The incident caused disturbance, with MPs demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Opposition’s call for accountability goes to BJP MP Pratap Simha, who is accused of giving the intruders a permit to the Lok Sabha. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari highlighted the need of MPs speaking up and requested the Chairman to reconsider the decision, highlighting the importance of the security failure.

As the Winter Session continues, the suspension of 14 MPs shows the challenges the government faces in keeping peace in Parliament while dealing with the issues made by the Opposition.

The demand for a statement from the Home Minister, as well as the ongoing debates, shows a tense session with serious issues that must be resolved.

  India, Lok Sabha, opposition suspended