Six TMC MPs suspended for a day in Rajya Sabha for 'placard' protest on Pegasus

TMC members who were holding placard included Dola Sen, Arpita Ghosh and Nadimul Haque

High drama was witnessed in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu suspending six Trinamool Congress MPs for a day from the House for carrying placards while protesting along with other opposition MPs on the Pegasus spying issue.

The six MPs -- Dola Sen, Nadimul Haque, Abir Ranjan Biswas, Shanta Chhetri, Arpita Ghosh and Mausam Noor -- also attempted to enter the House at 2 PM but were prevented by security staff, leading to slogan shouting by the protesting MPs.

While the morning session was washed out, the afternoon session saw the governmet passing three bills -- The Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2021, The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Bill, 2021 and The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

The suspension of MPs under Rule 255 -- naming of MPs by the Chair and their withdrawal from the House for the remaining part of the day -- led to a series of meetings in the Opposition camp on the strategy to be adopted in the afternoon session of the House during which some of the MPs who managed to speak during discussions on the Bill raised the issue of suspension of the lawmakers.

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As soon as the House assembled in the morning and laying of official papers on the table, placard-wielding Trinamool Congress MPs and others rushed into the Well of the House after Naidu rejected multiple notices to suspend business and discuss Pegasus, farmers' issue and the alleged rape and murder of a Dalit girl among others.

Naidu asked the MPs not to display the posters, which questioned the government on Pegasus, and asked them to return to their seats.

"All these members who are in the well of the House with placards... all of them are named under rule 255. I direct these members who are in the well of the House to go back to their seats, otherwise, you are named and you are suspended for the day," Naidu said.

As the MPs refused to heed to his request, he said those "disobeying the chair and raising placards shall leave the House under Rule 255." He did name anyone but said Rajya Sabha Secretariat will give the list before adjourning the House till 2 PM.

Later a Parliamentary Bulletin identified the six MPs suspended for the day. When the House re-assembled at 2 PM, the suspended MPs tried to enter the Chamber but were prevented.

Inside the House, the MPs continued their protest as the government went ahead passing three Bills. MPs like Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav and CPI(M)'s Elamaram Kareem referred to the suspension while others like Manoj K Jha (RJD), Vandana Chavan (NCP), Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and John Brittas (CPI-M), Deepender Hooda and Partap Singh Bajwa (Congress) and AAP's S C Gupta raised Pegasus and farmers issues.

However, Deputy Chairman Harivansh did not allow them to continue their speeches saying it was not part of the subject of discussion.

Participating in the debate on Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill 2021, Bhattacharya alleged that the Bill was aimed at selling airports and asked whether the money collected through this would be used to buy Pegasus spyware.