Farmers Movement Archive

Suspension of MPs govt ploy to gain majority in Rajya Sabha: Cong

NEW DELHI: Accusing the Narendra Modi government of contriving a situation to disturb the proceedings of Parliament, Congress on Wednesday said the winter session started with the undemocratic revocation of controversial farm laws without a discussion and ended with equally undemocratic passage of the electoral law linking Aadhaar and electoral rolls, “which will lead to large-scale disenfranchisement of minorities, Dalits, tribal and poor people”. Addressing a press conference after the Parliament was adjourned sine die, Congress Parliamentary leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Jairam Ramesh said the winter session presented a bizarre situation where the opposition wanted to run the House but the government was looking for ways to create trouble, saying that suspension of 12 MPs from Rajya Sabha was done with that purpose. “The united opposition had 120 MPs in Rajya Sabha while the government side had 118, and the government would have lost in case of division over any bill. So they selectively suspended MPs against all rules, like punishment for one session cannot be handed out in the next session,” alleged Kharge. While Kharge alleged that the RS chairman is working under the government pressure, Ramesh wondered if some opposition MPs would be suspended again in the budget session as punishment for the winter session. According to Kharge, the RS was adjourned right at the start just when he was about to raise the revelations about irregularities by officials and elected representatives in land purchases in Ayodhya. Ramesh said the issue of suspension and demand for resignation of junior home minister Ajay Mishra Teni over Lakhimpur Kheri violence led to opposition protests but the government was not keen to resolve the deadlock. “After the SIT report on Kheri massacre, we had to demand the minister’s resignation. Else, Lok Sabha was running fine,” Chowdhury said. Kharge said the government actions cost the opposition dearly as there was no discussion on important issues like price rise, Chinese aggression, Kheri violence. “The government listed a discussion on price rise in Lok Sabha only after we started protesting, demanding Teni’s resignation. This was a ploy,” Chowdhury said. Raising concerns over the electoral law, Ramesh said it was a very dangerous issue as it will lead to mass disenfranchisement of the underprivileged sections. He said over 55 lakh people were taken off the electoral rolls in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh after a similar action, which was later stayed by the court.

The Times of India

2021-12-23

India