24 MPs, including 20 from the Rajya Sabha, have been suspended so far.
The suspension of 24 MPs after protests in the Parliament has triggered a sharp reaction from opposition parties who claim their democratic rights are being violated. In addition to the suspension of its MPs, Congress has also claimed it is not being allowed to protest against probe agencies for "harassing" its top leadership and workers are arrested if they try to. The Centre has hit back, accusing the grand old party of trying to shield its leaders by trying to obstruct a legal process and creating a ruckus.
"The government doesn't want to discuss price rise and unemployment in the Parliament. Outside, Sonia Gandhi is being harassed by probe agencies for political vendetta. There were protests during the Congress governments as well but we didn't suspend anyone," Congress leader Sachin Pilot told NDTV, launching an all-out attack against the ruling party, adding that the Congress office has turned into a police post and they can't even protest there.
Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the opposition in the upper house, called the suspensions "unlawful" and said, "Modi government cannot be allowed to run these undemocratic one-way proceedings by suppressing people's voice".
Responding to the charge, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said nobody is above democracy and the law. "Be it the Queen or Yuvaraj. The Congress party considers itself above the judiciary and the law. Why do they want to escape from the investigation? Let the investigation be completed. Only then the truth will come out," he said.
Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day after the opposition uproar over suspensions and other issues.
Earlier in the day, Aam Aadmi Party member Sanjay Singh was suspended from the upper house for the rest of the week for tearing up papers and throwing them at the Chair while raising the recent deaths due to the consumption of illicit or toxic liquor in Gujarat.
24 MPs, including 20 from the Rajya Sabha, have been suspended so far.
Earlier this week, four Congress MPs in Lok Sabha were dealt with similar action for the entire monsoon session, ending August 12, for holding placards inside the house despite warnings by Speaker Om Birla to behave.
The 20 suspended Rajya Sabha MPs will hold a relay protest for 50 hours in the Parliament complex, Trinamool MP Dola Sen said according to news agency PTI.
Yesterday, when 19 opposition MPs were suspended from Rajya Sabha for the rest of the week for disrupting the session, BJP's Piyush Goyal said the decision was taken "with a heavy heart".
Opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha have been demanding an urgent discussion on issues like price rise and goods and services tax, or GST, hike for the past many days, leading to disruptions in the house. They have stalled the proceedings in both houses ever since the start of the monsoon session on July 18.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering allegations linked to the National Herald case ended today. She was asked over 100 questions in 12 hours spread over three days.
Sonia Gandhi, 75, spent three hours with the probe agency on the third day of questioning today. She has not been summoned again.