Rajya Sabha Suspends 12 MPs Over Misconduct, Unruly Behaviour During Monsoon Session

Six Congress MPs Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, Ripun Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Hussain, Akhilesh Singh are among those suspended.

Parliament passed The Farm Laws Repeal Bill to repeal the three contentious agricultural reform laws on Monday (Representational)

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha suspended 12 MPs, including six of the Congress, for the remaining part of the Winter session of Parliament due to their misconduct and unruly behaviour during the last session.

The 12 MPs who have been suspended are Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, Ripun Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Hussain, Akhilesh Singh of the Congress, Elamaram Kareem (CPM), Binoy Viswam (CPI), Dola Sen and Shanta Chhetri (TMC) and Priyanka Chaturvedi and Anil Desai (Shiv Sena).

In a joint statement, 14 Opposition parties condemned the "unwarranted and undemocratic suspension of 12 MPs". "Floor leaders of Opposition parties of RS will meet tomorrow to deliberate on future course of action to resist authoritarian decision of the government and defend Parliamentary democracy," the statement said.

Leaders of Oppn parties unitedly condemn the unwarranted & undemocratic suspension of 12 MPs...Floor leaders of Oppn parties of RS will meet tomorrow to deliberate on future course of action to resist authoritarian decision of Govt & defend Parliamentary democracy:Joint Statement pic.twitter.com/NuvrMsQVDE

— ANI (@ANI) November 29, 2021

The development comes on a day Parliament passed The Farm Laws Repeal Bill to repeal the three contentious agricultural reform laws against which farmers have been protesting for over a year.

The Rajya Sabha saw protests by the Opposition after the Bill was passed with a voice vote without any discussion. TMC MPs Dola Sen and Nadimul Haque protested in the well of the House over the passage of the Bill without debate.

READ | Rahul Attacks Centre For Passing Farm Laws Repeal Bill In Parliament Without Discussion

Congress Rajya Sabha member Chhaya Verma called the suspension "unfair and unjust". "There were other members from other parties who created a ruckus but the chairman suspended me. PM Modi is doing just as he wishes since he enjoys a brute majority," ANI quoted Verma as saying.

"If you see the CCTV footage, it has been recorded how male marshals were jostling female MPs. All of this on one side and your decision on the other? What kind of unparliamentary behaviour is this?" ANI quoted Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi as saying.

Chaotic scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha on August 11 during the Monsoon Session when the government moved the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment, 2021. Calling it a "sell-off", the Opposition MPs stormed into the well of the House, shouting anti-government slogans and tore copies of the Bill. Some Opposition MPs clashed with the marshals. Two women MPs of Congress, Phulo Devi and Chayya Verma, alleged they were manhandled.

The Rajya Sabha secretariat had submitted a report after completing its internal examination. Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu wanted to constitute a special committee with members from all parties to investigate the August 11 events. However, several parties, including Congress, declined to join such a committee.