Farmers Movement Archive

8 MPs suspended from RS for ‘unruly behaviour’

The motion moved by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V. Muraleedharan sought to suspend the eight MPs for “unruly behaviour especially with the Chair and their gross disorderly conduct in violation of the rules and etiquette of Rajya Sabha thereby bringing disrepute to this august house and causing insult to the Office of the Hon’ble Deputy Chairman” for one week or the remainder of the current part of the session. Speaking to reporters, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Opposition MPs who continued to stay in the House after being suspended “do not have trust in institutions”. In his press conference, Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad responded to the Opposition’s claim that the Deputy Chairman did not allow voting on their resolutions to the send the two farm Bills to a select committee on Sunday, and said Mr. Harivansh had asked the MPs to go back to their seats so that a division can take place “13 times”. Instead, he said, the conduct of the MPs was “shameful” as they broke mics and tore the rule book. While the Opposition claimed the ruling party did not have the numbers, Mr. Prasad said: “We have a clear majority in the Rajya Sabha. Out of the members present, 110 were clearly supporting the Bills and only 72 were opposing”. He said the people of Bihar, where Mr. Harivansh is elected from, would “give a reply” to the Opposition parties, particularly the Congress and RJD, for the way he was treated in the House. Mr. Prasad’s statement comes at a time that the Bihar Assembly elections are around the corner. “Opposition parties will have to answer in Bihar...We won't make this a political issue,” he said.

The Hindu

2020-09-22

September 22 2020 00:00 IST