Chowdhury writes to Speaker to Revoke Suspension of Opposition MPs
Suspended MPs protest against their suspension at the entrance of Parliament during ongoing Winter session, in New Delhi, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. Image Courtesy: PTI Photo/Kamal Singh
Lok Sabha’s Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has urged Speaker Om Birla to revoke the suspension of 13 Opposition MPs who protested the December 13 Parliament security breach as they were “duty-bound to demand an explanation from the government and expect corrective measures”.
Last week, two men with canisters of yellow smoke jumped inside the Lok Sabha chamber from the Visitors’ Gallery during the Zero Hour and a third man and a woman carrying some bombs shouted slogans outside Parliament. Five persons were arrested, including the four intruders, who were charged under UAPA and various IPC sections.
Following the Opposition protests, one Rajya Sabha and 13 Lok Sabha MPs were suspended for “unruly conduct”—TMC’s Derek O’Brien (Upper House) and nine from Congress, two from CPM, one each from DMK, CPI and TMC (Lower House).
On Saturday, Birla wrote to all MPs denying that the suspension was linked to the security breach and was “purely to uphold the sanctity of the House”.
In a letter addressed to Birla on Sunday, Chowdhury wrote: “Since the seriousness of the matter lies in this fact, which relates to our own security, members of the Opposition are duty-bound to demand an explanation from the government and expect corrective measures to be taken urgently.”
While the Behrampore (West Bengal) MP wrote that “heated situations” might have occurred due to the “sensitivity of the matter and issues involved”, and Birla was “bound to take remedial action when matters perceivably go out of the way in enabling the House to function smoothly”, he also argued that the suspended members “were pressing for an explanation from the government on very troubling issues”.
Therefore, “it appears to be appropriate to hear them on their concerns and points of view”, Chowdhury further wrote.
“Considering the factors that led to the suspension of 13 members in the recent days, I would urge that the matter be relooked into holistically and appropriate action taken for revoking the suspension and restoring order in the House”.
The Congress leader also referred to then-Union home minister Lal Krishna Advani’s detailed statement in the Lok Sabha after the December 13, 2001, Parliament attack.
When Advani made the statement, “members, notwithstanding their party affiliation solidly stood as one in the interest of our nation and institutions that symbolise our democratic traditions and heritage”, he wrote.
On Thursday and Friday, Opposition MPs stalled proceedings in both Houses and demanded a statement from Shah, a discussion on the security breach, the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the House and action against BJP MP Pratap Simha, who facilitated passes for the two intruders.
“In the present instance too, it is but appropriate for the home minister [Amit Shah] to make a statement in the House on the incident,” Chowdhury wrote.
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