141 MPs belonging to Opposition suspended till now
Forty-nine Lok Sabha MPs, including National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Karti Chidambaram, and Nationalist Congress Party’s Supriya Sule, were suspended for disrupting House proceedings on Tuesday. With this action, the total number of MPs suspended in this Winter session of the Parliament has reached 141 – comprising 95 from the Lok Sabha and 46 from the Rajya Sabha.
The incident has led to a strong reaction from the opposition, with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticizing the government’s approach, alleging that the government is trying to pass important draft legislations without adequate opposition presence in the Parliament.
This development in the Indian Parliament reflects a deepening divide between the government and the opposition, impacting the legislative process and highlighting the tensions surrounding issues of parliamentary procedure and security.
The recent turmoil in the Indian Parliament revolves around a security breach that occurred on December 13, 2023, and subsequent actions by the authorities:
Security Breach in the Indian Parliament (December 13, 2023)
Incident: Two individuals entered the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery. One of them jumped onto the tables where MPs were seated and released a yellow-colored smoke canister, while the other chanted slogans. This caused chaos and panic, leading to the immediate adjournment of the session
Context: The incident occurred in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, in the new parliament building. It coincided with the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack. Following the incident, four individuals were arrested. The smoke released was found to be non-harmful, intended to cause a sensation.
Response and Security Review: The incident sparked widespread condemnation and raised serious questions about the security of the Parliament complex. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla organized a meeting to review security arrangements and implement stricter measures to prevent such incidents
The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were initially adjourned, but proceedings resumed later. The issuance of visitor passes was banned, and a high-level investigation was ordered.
Suspension of MPs and Parliamentary Disruptions
Initial Suspension (December 14, 2023): On December 14, 15 opposition MPs (14 from Lok Sabha and 1 from Rajya Sabha) were suspended for ‘unruly conduct’ after chanting slogans demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the security breach
Further Suspensions: On December 18, another 78 MPs (33 from Lok Sabha and 45 from Rajya Sabha) were suspended, bringing the total tally of suspended MPs to 92. This was followed by the suspension of an additional 49 MPs from the Lok Sabha on December 19, taking the final count to 141 (95 from Lok Sabha, 46 from Rajya Sabha)
Allegations and Demands: The opposition accused the government of executing a “complete purge” to pass bills without meaningful debate and criticized the handling of the situation involving BJP MP Pratap Simha, who was alleged to have facilitated the intruders into the Lok Sabha
The opposition demanded strict action against Pratap Simha, comparing the incident to the suspension of former Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra who was expelled from the Lower House on the charges of due to sharing her parliament password with her business man friend.
These events have led to significant disruptions in the Indian Parliament, reflecting deep political divisions and concerns over parliamentary security and procedures.
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