MPs’ suspension: Opposition boycotts assembly | National | Deshabhimani

New Delhi
Opposition parties have boycotted both houses of parliament in protest of the suspension of 12 MPs, including CPI (M) Rajya Sabha leader Elamaram Kareem and CPI (M) Rajya Sabha leader Binoy Vishwam. He also announced that the protest would continue until the politically motivated action was withdrawn.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said the suspension could be lifted if he apologized, but the MPs refused. As there was no opposition, the Rajya Sabha adjourned without discussing the Dam Safety Bill. The Lok Sabha, which has been adjourned several times due to opposition protests, split on Wednesday. Law Minister Kiran Rijiju has introduced in the Lok Sabha a bill clarifying the granting of additional pension or family pension to High Court judges on reaching a certain age.

When the Rajya Sabha convened this morning, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and other party leaders asked Speaker Venkaiah Naidu to withdraw the suspension of the MPs. He also pointed out that it was illegal under Rule 256 to take action on the issues of the previous session in the current session. Opposition members boycotted the assembly and raised placards and chanted slogans in front of the Gandhi statue.

The opposition also stormed the Lok Sabha. The Left, the Congress, the DMK and other opposition parties boycotted the proceedings. Trinamool protested in the middle. Speaker Om Birla later called a meeting of party leaders. Trinamool did not attend the opposition meeting to discuss its stand on the suspension. He said he would be part of the protest from the next day.

Because the suspension does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha

The allegation that the Modi government has suspended 12 MPs to pass crucial bills in the troubled Rajya Sabha is strong. The Rajya Sabha currently has 239 members. The NDA has 118 members, including independents and nominees who have joined the NDA. With less than 12 MPs in the opposition, the government could easily form a majority.

Several important bills are on the agenda, including the privatization of the banking sector. When the General Insurance-Privatization Bill was introduced in the monsoon session, there was a huge outcry, including from Left MPs. In its name is the suspension for violating the rules. In the monsoon session of 2020, the government passed three anti-agrarian bills in a similar situation.

Eight MPs, including Elamaram Kareem and KK Ragesh, were expelled from the assembly for protesting. The MPs protested by spending the night in the Parliament premises. As there is no majority in the Rajya Sabha, the government routinely passes bills without discussion or vote.