The members of the Opposition parties have condemned the suspension of 92 MPs from the Parliament during the ongoing Winter Session and called the move a “mockery of democracy.” The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government is under fire for allegedly violating democratic norms and attempting to “bulldoze” legislation without proper debate in Parliament.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has accused the government of suppressing the people’s voice, while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) expressed disappointment, stating that such mass suspensions are unprecedented in parliamentary history.
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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the government’s actions, asserting that democratic norms were being discarded into the dustbin by the “autocratic” government. Kharge highlighted the importance of accountability to Parliament, claiming that the government’s actions could pave the way for “bulldozing legislation” without proper debate.
“We have two simple and genuine demands – The Home Minister should make a statement in both Houses of Parliament on the inexcusable breach in the Parliament security and a detailed discussion should be held on the same,” Kharge wrote in a post on X.
First, intruders attacked Parliament.Then Modi Govt attacking Parliament & DemocracyAll Democratic norms are being thrown into the dustbin by an autocratic Modi Govt by suspending 47 MPs.We have two simple and genuine demands –1. The Union Home Minister should make a…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 18, 2023
Indian Express quoted Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as saying that the government “does not want to run Parliament” and does not have an “iota of interest in the parliamentary system”. He called such behaviour antithetical to parliament protocols and said that the opposition would continue to protest.
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“Let them suspend all of us and let Modi complete his century,” Chowdhury said.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, who found himself suspended for the first time in his 19-year parliamentary career, characterised the situation as the “Murder of Democracy in India (MODI)” in a post on X.
Not only in the Lok Sabha, today was a bloodbath in the Rajya Sabha with 45 INDIA party MPs getting suspended for demanding a statement by the Home Minister on the December 13th security breach, and for demanding that the Leader of the Opposition be allowed to speak.… https://t.co/iwQN4G8yPZ
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 18, 2023
TMC President and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in Delhi to attend the INDIA bloc meeting, also criticised the government for suspending Opposition MPs and accused them of making a “mockery of democracy.” Banerjee questioned the need for suspending so many MPs, suggesting arrogance following recent state election victories by the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
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Speaking to the news agency ANI, DMK MP TR Baalu expressed concern over the unprecedented suspension of MPs and slammed the government’s poor response.
“Nothing like this has happened in the history of the Indian Parliament. The government’s response is very poor,” he said.
Congress leader K C Venugopal further asserted that Parliament has become a place for suspensions rather than discussions and debates.
“It appears the government is hell-bent on destroying every last shred of democracy in India. Dismissing 47 opposition MPs, including our Lok Sabha Leader @adhirrcinc ji, shows that the BJP wants to finish off the institution of Parliament,” he wrote on X.
It appears the government is hell bent on destroying every last shred of democracy in India. Dismissing 47 opposition MPs, including our Lok Sabha Leader @adhirrcinc ji, shows that the BJP wants to finish off the institution of Parliament. The government must be held…
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) December 18, 2023
In response to the Opposition’s criticism, Union Minister Piyush Goyal accused them of insulting the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairperson, asserting that their conduct was embarrassing to the entire country.
“The rude behaviour of the Congress and its friendly partners of the INDIA alliance in both the Houses of Parliament today and the manner in which several members brought placards in the House have embarrassed the entire country. Both the Speaker and the Chairman were insulted today,” HT quoted Piyush Goyal saying this outside the House.
Prominent leaders like Ardhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Jairam Ramesh, Derek O’Brien, K C Venugopal, Randeep Singh Surjewala as well as Ram Gopal Yadav are among those MPs who have been suspended.