Speaker suspends 25 Cong MPs for ‘grave disorder’

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 3

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today suspended 25 Congress MPs for five days for causing disruption in the House, inviting a sharp reaction and uniting the Opposition that appeared disparate so far.

Several parties have supported the Congress against the suspension and decided to boycott the House for the next five days. Congress president Sonia Gandhi termed it as “black day for democracy”.

The MPs were suspended for causing “grave disorder”. “I am sorry...You have to come to the well of the House...You have been persistently and wilfully obstructing the business of the House,” the Speaker said. The action is under Rule 374(A). Mahajan said, “All these people stand automatically suspended from the service of the House for five consecutive days.”

Throughout the previous week, the Speaker had repeatedly warned MPs against showing placards. The Speaker “named” (identified for action) 25 Congress members who were carrying placards while pressing for resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The Congress has 44 MPs in all and the number is now reduced to 19 for the next five days.

Immediately after announcing her verdict, Mahajan adjourned the House.  However, a number of Congress members staged a sit-in. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi also sat inside the House after the Speaker’s orders. They were locked in impromptu discussions with their MPs and those from Opposition parties. As of now, at least nine Opposition parties, the TMC, NCP, CPM, CPI, RSP, Muslim League, RJD, JD(U) and AAP, have decided to boycott the Lok Sabha proceedings for five days along with the suspended members.

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge in the Lok Sabha and Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Rajya Sabha said the government’s action gave a sense of “undeclared emergency in the country”. Kharge said, “The Gujarat model is being replicated by suspending MPs and running the show unilaterally...We are in touch with like-minded parties to evolve a joint strategy to counter this move.” The TRS, meanwhile, said it was approached by the Congress, but it won’t boycott the House.

The Trinamool was the first to back the Congress with its leader in Lok Sabha Sudeep Bandopadhyay saying, “After today’s suspensions, Sonia Gandhi approached us to know what our stand was. We spoke to our leader Mamata Banerjee who asked us to boycott the Lok Sabha for five days along with the Congress. Suspensions are not good for democracy. We have decided not to sign the attendance register for five days and boycott proceedings.” 

RSP’s NK Premchandran also said government’s attempts to isolate the Congress through suspensions were politically motivated and won’t succeed.