Lok Sabha Lifts Suspension of Eight Opposition MPs Amid Protests

Revocation of Suspension in Lok Sabha

On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha voted to lift the suspension of eight Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) in a voice vote.

These MPs had faced suspension on February 3 for the remainder of the Budget Session due to their actions of tearing up papers and throwing them towards the speaker's chair. During this incident, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, a member of the chairpersons' panel, presided over the proceedings in the absence of Speaker Om Birla.

The suspended MPs include Congress members Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, Prashant Padole, Dean Kuriakose, and S Venkatesan from the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Congress chief whip K Suresh initiated the discussion regarding the resolution to revoke the suspension on Tuesday.

Supporting the resolution, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav emphasized that all members should work together to uphold the decorum of the House. He stated, “All members are responsible for maintaining the dignity of the House,” and assured that his party would never compromise the House's dignity.

Yadav also noted that the Parliament cannot function effectively without cooperation from the ruling party.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju responded by affirming the ruling party's readiness for discussions, stating, “We have adhered to the rules in the past and will continue to do so.”

The suspension of the eight MPs occurred amidst several adjournments in the House, which were prompted by protests from the Opposition after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was barred from citing a passage from an unpublished memoir by former Indian Army chief MM Naravane.

During the Motion of Thanks debate on the President's address, Gandhi referenced this memoir in relation to political decision-making during the 2020 border tensions with China.