Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today suspended seven MPs belonging to the Congress party for unruly behaviour and for disrupting the proceedings of the House for the rest of the Budget Session.
Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted for the third day on Wednesday as opposition parties created an uproar demanding immediate discussion on the Delhi riots. Parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi said it can be taken up on 11 March in the Lower House and on 12 March in the Rajya Sabha.
The opposition, however, seemed not convinced and continued the protest storming the well on several occasions. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was not present during the day and the proceedings were chaired by presiding officers.
The speaker was forced to act against these MPs - Gaurav Gogoi, TN Prathapan, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Benny Behanan, Rajmohan Unnithan and Dean Kuriakose - after they ran helter skelter and snatched papers from the Speaker.
“Snatching papers from Speaker’s table utmost disrespect to Chair, we condemn this. We have requested Speaker to set up panel to look into continuous indiscipline by Congress members,” said parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi.
The motion was passed by a voice vote. The house was adjourned at 15:03 hours for the day to meet again tomorrow (6 March) at 11:00 hours.
Amid din, the House, however, passed the Direct Tax Vivaad Se Vishwas Bill.
Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary condemned the suspension of the MPs and said, “Is this a dictatorship? It seems the government doesn’t want Delhi violence issue to be discussed in Parliament that is why this suspension. We strongly condemn this.”
The House was first adjourned soon after it met at 11 am, then at noon and finally for the day a little past 2 pm.
Opposition parties continued to demand resignation of home minister Amit Shah and continued to chant slogans - ‘Modi Sarkar Shame Shame’, ‘Pradhan Mantri Jawab Do’.
Earlier, Congress members trooped into the Well shouting slogans and some of them displayed placards, demanding resignation of home minister Amit Shah.
Nearly 30 members from the Congress were in the Well. Some of them were heard asking where was the Speaker and also shouted ‘we want justice’.
Despite the din, two questions were taken up during the Question Hour. Supplementaries to a query related to coal production was answered by Joshi, who is also the Coal Minister.
Kirit Solanki, who was in the chair, told agitating members that Question Hour should continue.
As the ruckus continued, he adjourned proceedings till noon.
Both Houses have been witnessing disruptions over Delhi violence since the second leg of the budget session began on 2 March.