'Sacrilege' In Parliament Can't Be Justified: Venkaiah Naidu On Oppn Protests Over Suspension Of 12 MPs

Vice President Naidu said “some respected leaders and members of this august House, in their wisdom, chose to describe the suspension of 12 members as undemocratic”.

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing protests over the suspension of 12 Opposition MPs, Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said propaganda is being spread to justify ‘sacrilege’ in Parliament.

“While calling this suspension as undemocratic both within and outside the House, not even a word being said about reasons given for suspension, the disdainful conduct of some members during last session, which I have categorically called as ‘acts of sacrilege’,” he said.

Vice President Naidu said “some respected leaders and members of this august House, in their wisdom, chose to describe the suspension of 12 members as undemocratic”.

“I have struggled to understand if there was any justification in that kind of a narrative being propagated but could not,” he added.

Vice President Naidu said the deputy chairman has urged both sides to talk it out and do the needful to move forward to enable normal functioning of the House.

“I urge both sides of this august House to talk it out and let the House do it’s mandated job,” he added.

Vice President Naidu said the latest suspension isn’t the first time to have happened.

“Such suspension of members, starting in 1962 happened on 11 occasions till 2010, further to a Motion moved by governments of the day. Were all of them undemocratic? If so, why it was resorted to so many times?” ANI quoted Vice President Naidu as saying.

“You don’t want to regret your misconduct but insist on revoking the decision of this House taken as per due process stipulated under the Rules of the House. Does this amount to upholding the principles of democracy?” he added.

Vice President Naidu’s remarks came as the leaders of several opposition parties staged a protest before Mahatma Gandhi’s statue inside the Parliament complex against the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs.

The protesters raised slogans against the government demanding that the suspension of the 12 members be revoked.

Earlier in the day, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned minutes after it convened as the Opposition protested against the chairman’s refusal to allow Mallikarjun Kharge to raise the issue of suspension of the 12 members.

The 12 MPs, including six from the Congress, two each from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Shiv Sena, and one each from the CPI and CPM, were suspended for the rest of the winter session for alleged unruly conduct towards the end of the monsoon session in August when marshals were called after the Opposition members stormed the Well of the House during the passage of the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021.