Eight opposition members were suspended today from the Rajya Sabha for the rest of the session over the unprecedented chaos in the house during the passing of controversial farm bills on Sunday, but they refused to leave.
Their suspension was carried out because of their “unruly behaviour” especially with the Chair of the House “and gross disorderly conduct”.
Following the adjournment of House, MPs of opposition parties, including the suspended MPs, held a protest in front of Gandhi statue in the Parliament premises, against the suspension of eight MPs.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu also rejected a notice for no-confidence motion against deputy chairman Harivansh on the grounds that proper procedure was not followed.
The members, including Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Sanjay Singh, Congress’s Rajeev Satav and CPM’s KK Ragesh, were told they had displayed “unruly behaviour especially with the Chair and gross disorderly conduct”.
According to the Opposition, the suspended members should be given a chance to explain what had happened the previous day, and called for a vote on the suspension. However, the Rajya Sabha said the decision had been taken on basis of a government.
“It was a bad day for Rajya Sabha yesterday when some members came to the well of the House. The deputy chairman was physically threatened. He was obstructed from doing his duty. This is unfortunate and condemnable and has brought disrepute to Rajya Sabha, which is also called the House of the Elders. I suggest to MPs, please do some introspection,” Naidu said in the House soon after Zero Hour was over.
Naidu’s announcement was followed by slogan-shouting by the opposition benches, forcing him to adjourn the House for an hour.
The two of the three bills passed on Sunday in Rajya Sabha – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 – were cleared in Lok Sabha on September 17, Thursday.
