15 Opposition MPs suspended from Parliament, Venugopal says 'murder of democracy'

Amidst high drama in both houses of Parliament on Thursday, as many as 15 Opposition MPs have been suspended for the remaining period of the winter session for 'disrupting house proceedings', a day after a major security breach in the Lok Sabha.

Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi moved two resolutions on separate occasions for the suspension of the MPs amid demands from the Opposition for a statement from Union home minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the security breach.

Before their suspension, the MPs moved into the well of the house, raising slogans demanding a statement from the government on Wednesday's security breach.

The house witnessed the first adjournment during the question hour when it was adjourned until 2.00 pm amid Opposition uproar.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP KC Venugopal called the suspension a "horrible, undemocratic move".

"A horrible, undemocratic move to suspend opposition MPs for demanding an answer from the government on the shocking security breach in Parliament yesterday. On the one hand, five MPs are suspended for demanding accountability, while on the other, there is no action against the BJP MP who facilitated the entry of the miscreants. This is a murder of democracy. The BJP government has reduced Parliament to a rubber stamp. Not even the pretence of a democratic process is left," he wrote on X.

Earlier in the day, Joshi moved a resolution to suspend five Congress MPs — TN Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Jothimani, Ramya Haridas, and Dean Kuriakose — for the rest of the session, PTI reported.

"I move the following that this House having taken misconduct of TN Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Jothimani, Ramya Haridas and Dean Kuriakose in utter disregard to the House and the authority of this Chair and having been named by the chair … to be suspended from the service of the House for reminder session," the resolution read.

The house was then adjourned until 3.00 pm. As soon as the house met again, Joshi moved a second resolution to suspend VK Sreekandan (Cong), Benny Behanan (Cong), Mohammad Jawed (Cong), PR Natarajan (CPI-M), Kanimozhi (DMK), K Subbarayan (CPI), SR Parthiban (DMK), S Venkatesan (CPI-M), and Manickam Tagore (Cong).

An MP claimed later that Parthiban was named among the suspended MPs even though he is not present in Delhi and is in Chennai.

The house was adjourned to meet again on Friday. Some of the suspended members continued to protest in the house even after the adjournment. A few of them came out after some time.

Opposition members in the Lok Sabha on Thursday held vociferous protests demanding a statement from the government on the Parliament security breach even as speaker Om Birla asserted that the security of the Parliament complex is the responsibility of the Lok Sabha secretariat.

The winter session of Parliament, which began on December 4, will conclude on 22 December.

Earlier, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said O'Brien was suspended for the remainder of the winter session for "ignoble misconduct" in the Rajya Sabha. He said O'Brien disrupted the proceedings of the House by entering the well, “continuously shouting slogans gesticulating at the Chair”.

“Such gross misconduct on the part of Derek O'Brien cannot be countenanced. I again name Derek O'Brien under Rule 256 for violating the directions of the House,” said the chairman as soon as the house met.

Accusing O'Brien of violating the directions of the chair and for disrupting the proceedings of the upper house of Parliament, the chairman allowed leader of the house Piyush Goyal to move a motion in this regard.

Putting the motion to vote, the Chair said the same has been adopted with a voice vote. "The motion is adopted. Derek O'Brien, a member, is suspended for the remaining part of the session," Dhankhar announced, with Opposition members shouting "no" in chorus.

The TMC MP was raising slogans along with Opposition members, demanding that Union home minister Amit Shah come into Parliament and make a statement on the security breach that led to two persons jumping into the chamber of the Lok Sabha from the visitors' gallery. He stayed inside the house despite being asked to leave.

With inputs from PTI