Kharge, Pawar, Other Oppn Leaders Stage Protest At Parliament Premises Over Suspension of MPs

Several Opposition MPs staged a protest in front of the Gandhi Statue on Parliament premises after the suspension of 92 MPs.

Several Opposition MPs staged a protest in front of the Gandhi Statue on Parliament premises after the suspension of 92 MPs.

Source : X/ANI

Parliament Winter Session: Several leaders of the Opposition including Nationalist CongressParty chief Sharad Pawar and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge staged protest in front of Gandhi Statue in Parliament premises on Tuesday. This comes after the suspension of 92 MPs for the remainder of the ongoing winter session.

#WATCH | Opposition MPs including NCP's Sharad Pawar and Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge stage protest in front of Gandhi Statue in Parliament premises, after the suspension of 92 MPs for the remainder of the ongoing winter session pic.twitter.com/WKzk0xa1TP

— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023

The suspension came after Opposition MPs continued to create ruckus and disrupt proceedings, demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the breach in Parliament security on December 13. Placards and protests led to Speaker Om Birla and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi appealing to MPs to cooperate.

Speaking on the suspension of MPs, Congress President Kharge said that it is very sad that the Speakers of both houses did not protect the MPs and suspended them, which is not good for democracy.   

"See till today how many such agitations have taken place and how many MPs have tried to speak, but this time both PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah don't want to come to Parliament, and they are giving lectures outside, going to Varanasi, Ahmedabad, but here the House is running. They have insulted the dignity of the House. The people who disrespect democracy are trying to teach us a lesson. It is very sad that the Speakers of both houses did not protect the MPs and suspended them. This is not good for democracy," Kharge told ANI.   

#WATCH | "This is not good for democracy," says LoP Rajya Sabha & Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on suspension of 92 opposition MPs. pic.twitter.com/Bc9kBC7yii

— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023

92 MPs Suspended So Far

On Monday, 78 Opposition MPs faced suspension from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, marking the highest number of such suspensions in a single day. The action taken on Monday brought the total number of Opposition MPs suspended since last Thursday to 92. The unprecedented move follows Thursday's suspension of 13 MPs from the Lok Sabha.