Aujla among 7 Cong MPs suspended from LS

Chair’s observation

Advertisement

The MPs displayed gross disregard for the Speaker’s chair by snatching papers from the Speaker’s table, tearing them up and flinging them towards the chair in a show of utter disrespect.

Those suspended

Gaurav Gogoi, TN Prathapan, Dean Kuriakose, Rajmohan Unnithan, Manick Tagore, Benny Behnan and Gurjit Singh Aujla

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 5

Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla was among the seven Congress MPs suspended from the Lok Sabha for the remaining Budget session today on account of “gross misconduct and disrespect to the Chair”.

Lok Sabha Presiding Officer Meenakshi Lekhi named Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, TN Prathapan, Dean Kuriakose, Rajmohan Unnithan, Manick Tagore, Benny Behnan and Aujla soon as the House met at 3 pm after an hour-long adjournment.

Naming the MPs, Lekhi, in the Speaker’s chair at the time, said, “The MPs displayed gross disregard for the Speaker’s chair by snatching papers from the Speaker’s table, tearing them up and flinging them towards the chair in a show of utter disrespect when the House met at 2 pm today to take up a Bill. This is unprecedented in the history of the House and I condemn the behaviour of the named MPs.”

Under the LS rules, a member once named by the Presiding Officer has to be removed from the House for the remaining day’s proceedings.

However, the government soon after Lehki’s naming of Congress MPs brought a motion to suspend the seven MPs for the remainder of the Budget session.

The motion brought by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi under LS rule 374A, was passed by the House by voice vote with Lekhi adjourning the House around 3.15 pm after asking the suspended MPs to leave.

The Congress later denounced the suspension terming it a black day in Parliament and accusing the government of practising vendetta politics.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the suspension was a blot on parliamentary democracy. “What happened today is a shame for parliamentary democracy. Since March 2, we have been seeking a debate on Delhi riots but our voice is being muzzled. Our MPs did nothing wrong and if the government thinks they can intimidate us like this and shut our voice that won’t happen,” Adhir said.

Suspended MP Gogoi said, “Suspend us for a year, but heal the wounds of Delhi riot victims.”

The government, meanwhile, said it had asked the Speaker to form a committee to look into continuing “indiscipline by Congress MPs”. “Snatching papers from the Speaker’s table is gross misconduct and we condemn it in the strongest terms,” Pralhad Joshi said.