Opposition walks out of Rajya Sabha after Chairman refuses to revoke suspension

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 30

Opposition MPs walked out of the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday after Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu refused to consider Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s request to revoke the suspension of 12 opposition MPs for their unruly behaviour on the last day of the previous session.

Kharge said the suspension was not carried out in accordance with rules. He said the moving of the motion by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi regarding the suspension of the 12 MPs and its adoption amounted to “gross violation of the rules of procedure on suspension of member provided under Rule 256”.

Khage said when Joshi was moving the motion, he wanted to raise a point of order under Rule 258 but was denied permission. This was done in gross violation of well-settled parliamentary conventions. Kharge added that under the rules, before a member was suspended, the chairman must name him. Furthermore, a member could be suspended only on the date of the occurrence of the alleged acts of disregard by the member. The 12 members suspended on Monday were punished for something they did in the last session, he pointed out.

“We all went to your house also, sir. I request you, please revoke their suspension,” Kharge said.

In response, Naidu said the Rajya Sabha is a “continuing institution” and the Chairman, under Rules 256, 259 and 266 and also under various other provisions, could take action. Moreover, the suspension was not ordered by the Chairman. It was the House which decided to put the members under suspension after a resolution was moved, he said.

Naidu added that the suspended members were named on August 10, the day they had indulged in acts of disregard. The Deputy Chairman had appealed to the members a number of times to maintain decorum and he also took the names on many occasions, the Chairman said.

“You disrupt the house, you climb on the table, you ransack the House and now you are giving me lessons,” Naidu remarked. “The motion was moved, it was approved,” Naidu said, adding, “it is final”.

“The members, who committed the sacrilege in the House, have not expressed remorse. On the other hand, they are justifying themselves. Therefore, I do not think the appeal of the Leader of the Opposition is worth considering. I am not considering it at all,” Naidu said.