Rajya Sabha Functions Smoothly Despite Renewed Protest From Suspended MPs

The Rajya Sabha on Friday witnessed the second consecutive 'smooth' day as it completed almost all listed business without any ruckus, unlike previous days, while the scene outside the House was different as the protest of 12 suspended MPs resumed, entering its tenth day after a one-day pause on Thursday.

Opposition parties had on Thursday shunned protest both inside as well as outside the Upper House to express condolence to Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other defence personnel who lost their lives in a tragic IAF helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu.

The Parliament has been witnessing protests since November 30, the second day of the Winter Session, as 12 members of Rajya Sabha were suspended the day prior by the chair for alleged unruly in the Monsoon Session in August, when marshals were called after Opposition members stormed the Well of the House during the passage of the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021.

The 12 suspended members started their protest on November 30 near the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside Parliament while their colleagues kept creating ruckus inside the Rajya Sabha seeking revocation of suspension of these members.

It was the first time on Thursday since November 29, the day the Winter Session of Parliament started, that the Opposition parties completely stopped their protests inside and outside Rajya Sabha over the suspension of the MPs.

The 12 MPs resumed their protest on Friday but their colleagues remained calm inside the House and quietly participated in proceedings.

The Opposition members, unlike previous days, not only participated in the Zero Hour but also raised questions of public welfare during Question Hour soon after the House assembled for the day at 11 am on Friday.

The day before Thursday, the entire Opposition, excluding TDP and YSRCP, had also boycotted the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha.

The suspended members comprise six from the Congress, two each from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from CPI and CPM: Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, Ripun Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Nasir Hussain and Akhilesh Prasad Singh of Congress; Dola Sen, Shanta Chhetri of Trinamool Congress; Priyanka Chaturvedi, Anil Desai of Shiv Sena; Elamaram Kareem of CPM; and, Binoy Viswam of CPI.