Kharge writes to RS Chairman, urges him to revoke Derek O’Brien’s suspension

PTI, Dec 18, 2023, 2:11 PM IST

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote to Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, urging him to revoke the suspension of Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien.

Kharge said the TMC leader was only demanding a statement by the Home Minister on the security breach issue in Parliament.

”All he (O’ Brien) was trying to do was to attract your attention so as to raise the collective demand of INDIA parties for a statement by the Minister of Home Affairs on the shocking incident that took place in Lok Sabha on December 13,” the Congress leader said.

He said the Home Minister not speaking on the issue is a ”breach of Parliamentary traditions and conventions”. ”These are perfectly legitimate demands. It is a breach of Parliamentary traditions and conventions that the Minister of Home Affairs can speak about the events of December 13 at a media function but refuses to say anything about in form of a statement in Parliament when the Parliament itself is in session,” he said.

On December 14, O’Brien was suspended from the Rajya Sabha, while 13 MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the session for disrupting the proceedings of the House while protesting against the Parliament security breach incident.

In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack last Wednesday, two men — Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D — jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during the Zero Hour, released coloured smoke and shouted slogans, before being overpowered by the MPs.

Two others, including a woman, were detained outside the Parliament complex for staging a protest. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had on Sunday urged the Speaker to revoke the suspension of 13 opposition members, Speaker Om Birla has said the suspension of the MPs has nothing to do with the December 13 incident.