‘Suspension of democracy’: Cong slams govt over suspension of opposition MPs

PTI, Dec 14, 2023, 7:01 PM IST

The Congress on Thursday termed as ”murder of democracy” the suspension of opposition MPs and alleged that the BJP government has reduced Parliament to a ”rubber stamp”.

As many as 14 opposition MPs were suspended from Parliament for the remainder of the Winter session for disrupting proceedings over the Lok Sabha security breach issue.

While TMC’s Derek O’Brien was suspended from the Rajya Sabha, 13 opposition MPs, including nine from the Congress and DMK’s Kanimozhi, were suspended from the Lok Sabha for disrupting the proceedings.

In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that ”having endangered national security and the safety of the temple of our Democracy — the Parliament — the BJP is now shooting the messenger”.

”The suspension of 14 opposition MPs from the Parliament because they wanted a discussion on the grave security breach is SUSPENSION OF DEMOCRACY! What is their crime?” Kharge said.

Is it a crime to urge the Union home minister to make a statement in the House, he asked.

Is it a crime to want a discussion on the perilous security breach, Kharge further asked.

”Does it not invoke draconian shades of dictatorship, a hallmark of the present dispensation?” the Congress president said.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said, ”A horrible, undemocratic move to suspend opposition MPs for demanding an answer from the Government on the shocking security breach in Parliament yesterday.” ”On the one hand 5 MPs are suspended for demanding accountability, while on the other hand, there is no action against the BJP MP who facilitated the entry of the miscreants,” Venugopal said.

”This is a murder of democracy. The BJP government has reduced Parliament to a rubber stamp. Not even the pretence of a democratic process is left,” he said.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also slammed the government over the issue, saying it is trying to distract from the main issue of security breach. ”Democracy is being ruthlessly sacrificed,” Chowdhury told reporters.

Later, the Congress in a post on X said that while opposition MPs were suspended, BJP MP Pratap Simha, on whose recommendation two intruders got public gallery passes, was ”commended”.

Amid opposition protests demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the security breach incident, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved two resolutions separately for the suspension of the MPs for disrupting the Lok Sabha proceedings.

The MPs had moved into the well of the Lok Sabha raising slogans, questioning the security breach, and demanding a statement from the government.

While T N Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Jothimani, Ramya Haridas and Dean Kuriakose (all from the Congress) were suspended when the first resolution was adopted, VK Sreekandan (Congress), Benny Behanan (Congress), Mohammad Jawed (Congress), PR Natarajan (CPI-M), Kanimozhi (DMK), K Subbarayan (CPI), SR Parthiban (DMK), S Venkatesan (CPI-M), and Manickam Tagore (Congress) were suspended through the second resolution.

However, the name of DMK member SR Parthiban was later removed from the list of MPs who were suspended. The development came after some opposition MPs said Parthiban is not present in Delhi and is in Chennai. Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said, ”There is comedy in this suspension, S R Parthiban has been named in the list, he wasn’t even in the LS today. I guess they can’t make out one Tamilian from another.”