Ruling Mahagathbandhan Holds Protest in Patna Against Suspension of 146 MPs
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Patna: Thousands of leaders, workers, and supporters of Bihar's ruling Mahagathbandhan coalition, which is part of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), took to the streets across Bihar on December 22 to protest against the suspension of 146 MPs from the Parliament.
On the call of the opposition alliance, ruling Mahagathbandan – comprising JD(U), RJD, Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Liberation [CPI(ML)], Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Communist Party of India (CPI) – jointly staged a protest in all the district headquarters including Patna.
In Patna, Mahagathbandhan’s workers, hoisting flags of their respective parties, and banners and posters, loudly shouted slogans against the "tanashahi (dictatorship)” of the BJP-led central government.
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The protest march began from Income Tax Golambar, passing through the busy Dak Bangla Square, and ended at the District Collector's office. Protesters handed over a memorandum to the President of India through Patna District Magistrate, urging for immediate intervention and withdrawal of suspension of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs.
After the protest march ended, a protest meeting was addressed by several leaders of the Mahagathbandhan.
The protest march was joined by RJD's state president Jagdanand Singh, senior party leader and former MP Shivanand Tiwary, former Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary, JD-U's state president Umesh Kushwaha, Congress state president Akhilesh Prasad Singh, senior CPI(M) leader Arun Mishra among others.
Ironically, top leaders of two major allies of Mahagathbandhan – Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is de facto chief of JD-U, RJD Chief Lalu Prasad and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav – along with most of the Bihar ministers did not join the protest march here.
According to reports, from over three dozen districts, Mahagathbandhan jointly staged a protest against suspension of opposition MPs in Parliament and demanded withdrawal.
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