Suspension of 8 MPs revoked
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday revoked with immediate effect the suspension of eight opposition members who were barred from the House on February 3 for “unruly” behaviour, with Speaker Om Birla stressing that there should be no display of placards, posters, photos or AI-generated images inside the House or in the Parliament complex.
Congress member K Suresh requested the House to consider the revocation of the eight Opposition members, saying whatever had happened in the House was regrettable, and that his party was ready to cooperate in the smooth functioning of the House.
Following the submissions by several Opposition members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said there was a need to draw a Laxman Rekha for the smooth functioning of the House, which both treasury and opposition benches agreed to.
Speaker Birla said there is a need to ensure that no placards, posters, photos or AI-generated images are displayed in the House or inside the Parliament complex.
Birla said that everyone is of the opinion that proceedings in Parliament of the world’s largest democracy should be smooth and everyone should cooperate.
Rijiju then moved a motion to remove the suspension of seven Congress MPs and one CPI-M member, which was adopted by a voice vote. The suspended MPs were Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Prashant Padole and Dean Kuriakose of the Congress, and S Ventakesan of the CPI(M).
Asked about the revocation of suspension and the call for upholding the dignity of the House, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told reporters, “Dignity should be maintained by both sides.”
The eight MPs were suspended on February 3 for “unruly” behaviour following a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha in the first half of the ongoing Budget session.
They were suspended for the entire duration of the Budget session scheduled to conclude on April 2.
Earlier, after Suresh’s submission, Samajwadi Party member Dharmendra Yadav supported the move, saying his party was ready to cooperate in maintaining the highest standards of Parliament. NCP leader Supriya Sule said efforts should be made by both ruling and opposition members so that the House functions smoothly.
JD(U) leader and Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said the House should function smoothly and both sides should cooperate.
