New Delhi: Two more Opposition MPs were suspended for misconduct in Lok Sabha today, adding to the suspension spree this session that has broken all records and sparked a massive row.
A total of 143 Opposition MPs across the two Houses have been suspended over the past one week after they demanded a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the security breach in parliament last week. As many as 97 Lok Sabha MPs have been suspended in Lok Sabha alone.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla suspended Thomas Chazhikadan of the Kerala Congress (Mani) and A M Ariff of the CPI(M) after the House adopted a resolution moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi. The two MPs have been suspended for the rest of the session.
Out of the 142 Opposition MPs in Lok Sabha, 97 have now been suspended -- over 68 per cent.
With less than 100 Opposition MPs left in Rajya Sabha after the suspension spree, the government does not face any challenge in that House either.
This effectively means that the getting any legislation through the House is a walk in the park for the government at this point. And there are two more days to go before the end of the winter session -- the last full session before the Lok Sabha polls next year.
The Opposition MPs have been protesting in both Houses of Parliament after two intruders trespassed into Lok Sabha and set off coloured smoke in a massive security breach. The Opposition parties demanded a statement by the Home Minister.
Lok Sabha Speaker Birla, however, maintains that any security-related incident inside the House comes under the purview of the secretariat and the government cannot be allowed to intervene.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not spoken in the House about the security breach. In an interview to Dainik Jagran newspaper, the Prime Minister said the security breach is a "very serious" incident. He has said an investigation is required but there is "no need for a debate".
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has hit out at the suspension spree, saying "democracy has been strangulated". She said the Opposition MPs had only asked for a statement by the Home Minister on the "extraordinary events" of December 13, when the security breach took place. "There are no words to describe the arrogance with which this request was treated," she said.