New Delhi: The Congress termed Monday ‘undemocratic’ and ‘one-sided’ the suspension of eight opposition Rajya Sabha MPs. Among the eight there were three Congress MPs also. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said ‘muting of democratic India’ continues by initially silencing and later suspending parliamentarians.
The suspension of the eight members comes a day after the Upper House witnessed unprecedented unruly scenes. It happened when opposition members protested against the passage of the two farm bills. Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu also rejected Monday a notice for a no confidence motion against Deputy Chairman Harivansh. He did so on the grounds that proper procedure was not followed.
“Muting Of Democratic India continues: by initially silencing and later, suspending MPs in the Parliament & turning a blind eye to farmers’ concerns on the black agriculture laws,” Rahul said in a tweet. “This ‘omniscient’ Govt’s endless arrogance has brought economic disaster for the entire country,” he added.
The party’s leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and its chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also spoke on the issue.
Chowdhury alleged that the newly-elected deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha was working under government obligation. “At the behest of the PMO, he tried to muzzle and throttle the voices of the opposition parties,” he said.
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“That is the reason there was commotion inside the Rajya Sabha. Now, in order to divert attention from the plight of farmers, they are trying to project that the commotion inside the Rajya Sabha was because we do not know how Parliament is run or how to participate in a parliamentary system,” Chowdhury added.
The Congress leader said Opposition members in the House had sought division in accordance with the rules but were ignored.
“We are also entitled to move a no confidence motion against the deputy chairman if it is perceived by us that the deputy chairman is playing a partisan role,” Chowdhury said.
“I condemn this kind of expulsion of members of Rajya Sabha in such a brazen and undemocratic manner. We will be protesting to restore the status quo ante of our honourable members of Rajya Sabha,\” Chowdhury told reporters.
Surjewala alleged that the livelihood of farmers was being throttled. “Democracy is being finished in the country to save the rule of Modi. The Modi government has turned Parliament into its dictatorial Gujarat model. Elected democracy has now become one-sided autocracy,” Surjewala alleged.
“The way eight members were suspended in a one-sided manner, the way our colleagues’ voices against the black farm laws were suppressed, the manner in which representatives of farmers inside Parliament and farmers’ voices outside are being suppressed… the country will not forgive you Modi ji,” Surjewala said.