Govt, Opposition lock horns over MPs' suspension

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 20

Three days left for the winter session of Parliament to conclude, the ongoing stalemate in the Rajya Sabha over the suspension of 12 MPs is set to last with the Opposition and the government locking horns and trading charges.

Onus to run House is on govt, not oppn

We have demanded MoS Ajay Mishra’s resignation and a discussion on Lakhimpur Kheri violence, but we are not being allowed. The onus to run the House is on the government, not on Opposition. Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader

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After the Opposition boycotted a meeting leader of the house Piyush Goyal had called this morning to resolve the impasse, the latter said, “The opposition has no intention to run the House. Disruption and disturbance is their only religion.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, attacked the government for launching “non-stop attacks on democracy by preventing discussions on issues of national importance”. The RS remained disrupted today with the pre-lunch part adjourned soon as the House assembled.

Earlier, leaders of five parties — Congress, TMC, CPI, CPM and Shiv Sena — declined the invitation of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi for a meeting. They were protesting selective invites to five parties, leaving out 10 others.

Quoting a 2010 instance when seven MPs were suspended, Goyal said ruling party leaders at the time including Jayanti Natarajan of the Congress insisted on an apology to the Chair for suspensions to be revoked.

“Even though not a single BJP MP was suspended, the then LoP, Arun Jaitley, regretted on behalf of the entire Opposition to the Chair,” he said.