'PM Modi, Amit Shah Have Suspended Democracy': TMC's Derek O'Brien On Suspension Of MPs

Opposition MPs were suspended as they did not heed to Deputy Chairman Harvansh's repeated directions to leave the Well of the House and take their seats in the Upper House.

As many as 19 Members of Parliament (MPs) on Tuesday were suspended from attending the sitting Monsoon Session of the Parliament in Rajya Sabha for a week for disrupting the House proceedings. According to reports, seven MPs of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and six from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), three from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and one from the Communist Party of India (CPI).

The Opposition MPs were suspended as they did not heed to Deputy Chairman Harvansh's repeated directions to leave the Well of the House and take their seats in the Upper House.

Responding to the move, TMC MP Derek O Brien told reporters that PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have suspended the democracy. "Modi and Amit Shah have suspended democracy...what are you talking about MPs?," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

Earlier in the day, Brien also took to Twitter and registered his disagreement. Brien said that the the government benefits when Parliament is disrupted because they are accountable to no one. 

"WHO BENEFITS WHEN PARLIAMENT IS DISRUPTED? The Government benefits, because then they are ACCOUNTABLE TO NO ONE," he tweeted. 

TMC MPs including Sushmita Dev, Mausam Noor, Shanta Chhetri, Dola Sen, Santanu Sen, Abir Ranjan Biswas and Nadiumal Haque were suspended. After suspending the MPs, Harivansh said the leaders were suspended for showing "utter disregard" to the House and the authority of the Chair.

Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day to meet at 11 am tomorrow amid ruckus. Despite being asked to leave the House, the suspended MPs kept protesting in the Well, leading to two adjournments.

"It is clear that the Modi govt does not have an answer to inflation. If Finance Minister is not well, PM Modi can answer our questions. This is unfair to suspend 19 MPs for raising questions in parliament. We will protest inside and outside the parliament," TMC MP Sushmita Dev said.

On Monday, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla suspended four Congress members in Lok Sabha for the rest of the session for causing disruptions. Proceedings in Parliament remained paralysed for the sixth day on Monday as the stalemate over the Opposition's demand for immediate discussions on price rise and GST hike in both Houses.