New Delhi: Opening out after 78 MPs were suspended from both Houses on Monday, making it the biggest single-day purge in the history of India’s Parliament, combined with the 13 members removed earlier, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday said the “mother of democracy has orphaned it”.
Amid an explosive showdown in both Houses between the Chairs, Treasury and the Opposition over the Parliament security breach, 78 members were suspended for raising a ruckus and disrupting proceedings over the demand for a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the December 13 incident.
The Rajya Sabha MP also urged citizens to take the onus of ensuring the ‘survival of democracy’.
Taking to his official handle on X on Tuesday, the former Union Law Minister posted, “Mother of Democracy has orphaned it! The people of India must take care and ensure its survival.”
With the suspension of 78 MPs on Monday, the number of legislators suspended from both Houses for “misconduct” and not obeying the directions of the Chairs rose to 92.
The motion for the suspension of MPs was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi. When the House reassembled at 3 pm after adjournments earlier, BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the Chair, said the members had been violating rules.
The House earlier suspended 13 members for displaying placards and violating the directions of the Chair. Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha has also witnessed the suspension of TMC MP Derek O’Brien.
Including TMC’s Derek O’Brien on December 14, a total of 46 MPs have now been suspended from the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge also criticised the centre over the suspension of MPs.
“With an Opposition-Less Parliament, the Modi Govt can now bulldoze important pending legislations, crush any dissent, without any debate,” Kharge wrote in a post on ‘X’.
“First, intruders attacked Parliament. Then Modi Govt attacking Parliament & Democracy All Democratic norms are being thrown into the dustbin by an autocratic Modi Govt by suspending 47 MPs. We have two simple and genuine demands – 1. The Union Home Minister should make a statement in both Houses of Parliament on the inexcusable breach in the Parliament security. 2. A detailed discussion should be held on the same”, he added.
Opposition members have been demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah over the breach of Parliament’s security on December 13.
The security breach happened on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack. Two people–Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D–jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted anti-establishment slogans before being overpowered by the MPs.
Outside it, in another incident, two protestors — Neelam (42) and Amol (25) — protested outside the Parliament with similar gas canisters. However, all four were sent to seven-day custody of Delhi Police Special Cell on Thursday.
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