Lok Sabha: 33 Opposition MPs, including Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, suspended from Lok Sabha

Thirty-three Opposition MPs, including Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Trinamool Congress’ Saugata Roy and Kalyan Banerjee, and DMK’s TR Baalu, A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran, were suspended from the Lok Sabha for “misconduct” and not obeying the directions of the chair.

The day’s proceedings were marred by repeated adjournments in the Lok Sabha on Monday. In the post-lunch sitting, the Opposition MPs entered the Well of the House demanding a discussion on the December 13 security breach. As the House was passing the Post Office Bill, three Congress MPs – Vijay Vasanth, K Jayakumar and Abdul Khaleque – climbed stairs and stood next to the Speaker’s chair holding placards and raising slogans. The House was adjourned at 2.50 pm for 10 minutes till 3 pm.

As the House reassembled, BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the Chair, said that the members had been violating rules. “You have been repeatedly requested not to bring placards to the House,” he said. He then named 33 members and Joshi moved a motion to suspend them. The motion was later adopted. The Speaker has suspended the three MPs who had climbed till the chair and referred their case to the privileges committee.

The Speaker has suspended 30 MPs for the remainder of the session. These include Kalyan Banerjee, A Raja, Dayanidhi Maran, Aparupa Poddar, Prasun Banerjee, ET Mohammed Basheer, Ganesan Selvam, CN Annadurai, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, T Sumathy, K Navas Kani, NK Premachandran, Satabdi Roy, Sougata Roy, Kaushalendra Kumar, Anto Antony, SS Palanimanickam, Pratima Mondal, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, K Muraleedharan, Sunil Kumar Mondal, Sellaperumal Ramalingam, Kodikunnil Suresh, Amar Singh, TR Baalu, Thirunavukkarasar, Gaurab Gogoi, Rajmohan Unnithan, K Veeraswamy, Ashit Mal.

The House had last week suspended 13 members for displaying placards and violating the directions of the Chair. Opposition members have been demanding a statement from home minister Amit Shah over the breach of Parliament’s security on December 13. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X earlier in the day that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken on the issue outside the Parliament when the winter session was underway.

“The prime minister speaks to a leading newspaper on the very serious December 13th security breach in the Lok Sabha. The home minister speaks to a TV channel on the security breach. Parliament is in session. INDIA parties are demanding a statement from the home minister in both Houses on the shocking incidents. It is a simple, straightforward and legitimate demand. But home minister refuses to make a statement which is his duty and responsibility. This is why Parliament is getting adjourned repeatedly,” Ramesh said.Post Office Bill 2023 passed
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha passed the Post Office Bill 2023, which replaces the Indian Post Office Act 1898. Even as the members raised slogans, the House discussed the Post Office Bill and passed it within half an hour. The bill, initially introduced in the Rajya Sabha during the monsoon session on August 10, has successfully navigated both Houses of Parliament.