“Black Day”, “Nothing But Anarchy”: What Opposition MPs Said On Suspension

As many as 49 Members of Parliament were suspended today, taking the total number of suspended MPs in both houses of the Parliament to a record 141. Yesterday, 79 Opposition MPs were suspended in a single day following protests inside the house over the massive security breach inside Lok Sabha on the anniversary of Parliament attacks last week. 

The opposition MPs have been demanding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah address the Parliament on the security failure due to which two intruders entered the Lok Sabha chamber, jumped from desk and desk and released coloured smoke from canisters.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Karti Chidambaram Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, National Conference Leader Farooq Abdullah, NCP’s Supriya Sule, Dimple Yadav Samajwadi Party are among the suspended MPs. 

Who Said What

Shashi Tharoor

“It’s clear they want an Opposition mukt Lok Sabha and they would do the same with Rajya Sabha too. Unfortunately, we have to start writing obituaries of Parliamentary Democracy in India,” suspended Congress MP in Lok Sabha, Shashi Tharoor said.

“The basic principle of Parliamentary Democracy has been violated by Home Minister Amit Shah by not coming to the house and discussing the issue of the security breach and talk about it, something he has been doing outside to the media,” he said.

Farooq Abdullah

National Conference MP Farooq Abdullah, who was been suspended for the remainder of the Winter Session, criticised Amit Shah for not discussing the issue of security breach and said, “The police comes under the Home Ministry. What could’ve happened if he had come to the Parliament and made a statement on the incident?”

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

“It is nothing but anarchy inside the Parliament. They (BJP) do not have an iota of faith in Parliamentary Democracy,” Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was suspended yesterday, said.

Danish Ali

“It is strange that the Speaker says that we are being suspended as we have violated the Parliamentary decorum. How does asking questions to the Government qualify as a violation of parliamentary decorum? No action was taken against the BJP on whose pass the attackers entered the House” MP Danish Ali said. 

AAP MP Raghav Chadha, who is also the party’s leader in Rajya Sabha has slammed the BJP-led Centre over the suspension order. “It’s a black day in India’s democracy. The democracy has been suspended,” he said.

Supriya Sule

“We just wanted a reply from the government over the security breach. The discussion is for everyone, including BJP MPs, it’s a matter of security, but the government is running away from a discussion,” MP Supriya Sule said.

Mallikarjun Kharge

“The sanctity, and reputation of the house have been tarnished by not discussing the issue of a security breach. Instead of protecting the MPs, the Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman are suspending them,” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said.

BJP Reacts

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP has slammed the Opposition MPs for mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and said, “If the country is wondering why Opposition MPs were suspended, here is the reason. TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mocked the Honourable Vice President, while Rahul Gandhi lustily cheered him on. One can imagine how reckless and violative they have been of the House!”

Trinamool Congress’ suspended MP Kalyan Banerjee was seen mimicking Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during a protest by the opposition parties today. 

Kalyan Banerjee can be heard saying “My spine is so straight, I’m so tall” as he depicted the House proceedings in an impromptu skit.

While Kalyan Banerjee – surrounded by several other MPs – mimicked Mr Dhankar, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi recorded the incident with his phone.

Jagdeep Dhankhar called the incident “ridiculous and unacceptable”.