By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi Delhi, December 15: On the 22nd anniversary of 2001 terror attack on parliament, two men jumped into the chamber of the MPs in the Lok Sabha in a security breach not seen for more than two decades. While the world is stunned at the scale of the security breach, as many as 14 MPs were suspended from parliament for demanding answers from the Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah for the lapses.
The fury of the treasury benches against the Opposition was such that even an MP who was not present in the Lok Sabha was suspended. It must be underlined here that the presiding officer moves a motion to suspend members from the House on motion moved by the Union Minister for parliamentary affairs.
Thirteen MPs from the Lok Sabha and one from the Rajya Sabha were suspended on Thursday after both the houses of parliament faced protests from the Opposition for the security lapses. Two men had jumped into the MPs’ chamber in the Lok Sabha on Wednesdsay and they sprayed yellow gas in the House. They had also raised slogans.
Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said: “What happened yesterday in the Lok Sabha was deeply worrying. What happened today in the Lok Sabha is totally bizarre. An MP from Tamil Nadu who was not even present in the House and was in fact out of New Delhi got suspended for disrupting proceedings.”
Union Minister for parliamentary affairs Pralhad Joshi said that DMK MP SR Parthiban was suspended from the Lok Sabha because of the mistaken identity. The Opposition had also raised slogans demanding action against BJP MP Vijay Simha who had proposed passes for two men who had jumped into the MPs’ chamber in the Lok Sabha. Joshi also said that Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla had decided that there will be new ways of running the House after the inauguration of new parliament and bringing placards will invite an automatic action by the chair.
Ramesh also cited previsous instances of breach of security in parliament which were allegedly overlooked by the security agencies. He posted on X: “On September 23rd, 2023 there was sloganeering from the public galleries in the Rajya Sabha in loud praise of Mr. Modi as the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed. This was totally against the rules and completely against the decorum of Parliament. We had asked for an investigation on how this was allowed to happen. Obviously, no investigation has taken place.”
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge was scathing in attack on the government for allegedly trying to silence the Opposition. He posted on X: “Having endangered National Security and the safety of the temple of our Democracy — the Parliament, the BJP is now shooting the messenger. The suspension of 15 opposition MPs from the Parliament because they wanted a discussion on the grave security breach is SUSPENSION OF DEMOCRACY”.
The Opposition block has raised two demands on the issue of the breach of the security — A detailed statement by the Home Minister in both Houses, followed by a discussion on the very serious and shocking security breach witnessed in the Lok Sabha yesterday, and strict action against the BJP MP Pratap Simha who provided the visitor passes to the intruders.
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