Farmers Movement Archive

Derek O'Brien suspended from Rajya Sabha. Trinamool leader sees pattern

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien was suspended from Rajya Sabha on Tuesday for the remaining Winter Session of the Parliament for 'unruly behaviour' in the House. The TMC MP was suspended after he allegedly threw the rule book at the Rajya Sabha secretary general's table during the discussion on The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, on December 21.This is not the first time Derek O'Brien has been suspended from the Upper House. The TMC leader was suspended for creating chaos in the House during the passing of the controversial farm laws that were repealed after months-long farmers' protests.Taking to Twitter, Derek O'Brien said he has been suspended for protesting against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which was “making a mockery” of the Parliament by “bulldozing” the electoral reforms bill, hoping it will also be repealed soon."The last time I got suspended from RS was when govt. was BULLDOZING #FarmLaws," the TMC leader wrote on Twitter. “We all know what happened after that.”The last time I got suspended from RS was when govt. was BULLDOZING #FarmLaws We all know what happened after that. Today, suspended while protesting against BJP making a mockery of #Parliament and BULLDOZING #ElectionLawsBill2021 Hope this Bill too will be repealed soonElectoral reform bill to link Aadhaar, Voter ID gets Rajya Sabha approvalSushmita Dev, a Trinamool MP who recently switched from Congress, said suspending members of Parliament is the "new normal but then what else can we expect from a dictatorship."The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which has been passed by both Houses, seeks to link electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem. The bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote amid a walkout by the opposition. The Lok Sabha passed the bill on Monday as the government ignored the opposition's demand to refer it to a standing committee.The government argument is that the bill will sieve fake voters, insisting that the Aadhaar card linking to electoral rolls would be voluntary. Union law minister Kiren Rijiju said that the bill has been discussed in detail with the Election Commission, and has been formulated by keeping in mind the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee.(With agency inputs)

Hindustan Times

21-12-2021

India