A day after 12 Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended for the rest of the Winter Session of Parliament and Upper House chairman M Venkaiah Naidu refused to revoke the suspension, Congress leader Anand Sharma described the events as grossly unjust and said the Opposition is being painted wrongly. He said that the rule invoked for their suspension wasn’t in order.
“Many of the members who have been suspended are aggrieved because they were not even named. There are certain provisions under Rules of the House, invoking rule 256 wasn’t in order. It was violated, I don’t buy this contention also that it (the Parliament Session) is of continuity….Under Article 83 of the Constitution, it’s the President who convenes the session through Gazette notification. Summons are issued to members. After Monsoon Session was adjourned, Houses were prorogued. So, the present Session is a fresh session re-convened by President,” said Anand Sharma.
He said that the government also needs to introspect. “I’m sure that the opposition parties are deliberating the next course of action. What has happened is grossly unjust. The opposition is being painted wrongly. We are not endorsing anything which violates Parliamentary traditions but the government also needs to introspect,” said Sharma.
The opposition parties have today staged a walkout of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in protest against the suspension of the 12 MPs. The MPs were suspended for their alleged unruly behaviour on August 11 – the last day of the Monsoon Session.
Naidu today asserted that the suspension of the MPs was in order and to protect democracy and reasoned that it was the decision of the House and not of the Chair. Stating that Rajya Sabha is a continuing institution, Naidu observed that taking action against some MPs on the first day of the current Session for their acts of misconduct on the last day of the last Monsoon Session was in order.