Lok Sabha proceedings washed out amid vociferous protests by opposition over security breach, 14 MPs suspended

New Delhi, December 14

Lok Sabha proceedings were washed out on Thursday without transacting any business amid vociferous protests by Congress-led opposition, which sought home minister Amit Shah’s response on the security breach incident which had taken place inside the House on December 13.

VP Jagdeep Dhankhar suspends TMC MP Derek O’Brien from Rajya Sabha

As many as 13 opposition MPs, most of them from the Congress, were suspended by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for the remainder of the ongoing winter session, after he named them for their utter disregard to the chair’s directions while protesting over the security breach issue.

The suspended MPs were T N Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Dean Kuriakose, Jothi Mani, Ramya Haridas, V K Sreekandan, K Kanimozhi, Manickam Tagore, S R Parthiban, Mohammad Jawed, K Subramaniam, S Venkatesan, P R Natarajan and Benny Behanan.

However, later, the government decided to withdraw the suspension of DMK MP S R Parthiban from the Lok Sabha as he was not present in the House and his name was included with those to be suspended by mistake.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said Parthiban’s name has been withdrawn from the list of the Lok Sabha members suspended earlier in the day as there was a mistake on the part of the staff in identifying the member.

“I have requested the speaker to drop the name of the member as it was a case of mistaken identity,” Joshi said. The speaker has agreed to the suggestion.

Now, the total number of MPs suspended for the remainder of the winter session or Parliament stands at 14 — 13 from the Lok Sabha and one from the Rajya Sabha.

Earlier in the day, Rajya Sabha MP from Trinamool Congress Derek O’Brien was suspended for the remainder of the session by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar for unruly behaviour as opposition members disrupted proceedings in the upper house, too, over the same issue.

O’Brien had demanded a discussion on Wednesday’s security lapse, when two individuals leapt into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors’ gallery, and sprayed yellow gas from canisters on the MPs present in the House.

Earlier when the lower house had convened for the day, Speaker Om Birla had said that the responsibility of the security of Parliament is with Parliament secretariat and even the government cannot interfere in it.

He said this after opposition members stormed into the well of the house demanding Shah’s response on the security breach issue.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh rose to speak and said that everyone should condemn the incident and the Speaker has already taken action in the matter and issued necessary directions.

The need of the hour is to ensure that such incidents don’t happen in future. He also said that in the past too, such incidents have occurred.

Meanwhile Birla, who had allowed Question Hour to begin, had to adjourn the House after around 15 minutes as protests continued.

When the House reconvened at 2 pm, Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi read out the names of five Congress MPs who had been suspended from the House for the remaining period of the winter session.

BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab was in the chair at that time, even as opposition members continued with their protests.

Amid chaos, Joshi read out the decision of the Speaker after informing that, earlier too, several such incidents of security breach have occurred in Parliament House and were dealt with strictly by the Speaker as per rules.

He listed four such incidents of security breach which took place between 1974 and 1999. Joshi further said that what happened on December 13 was unfortunate and concerns the safety and welfare of the MPs.

He said it was appreciable on part of the Speaker to immediately convene a meeting of all floor leaders after the incident of security breach and heard their concerns and suggestions regarding it.

Joshi said despite the need of the hour being that all lawmakers should rise above politics and speak against it in one voice, there are some MPs who habitually create ruckus in the House.

Soon after this, the House was adjourned till 3 pm.

When Lok Sabha reconvened at 3 pm, Joshi read out the names of nine more MPs, all from the opposition, who had been suspended from the House for the remaining period of the winter session.

The House was adjourned till Friday, soon after the announcement. — with PTI