Suspended TMC MP Derek OBrien and others outside the Parliament House during the Winter session, in New Delhi, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023.
Credit: PTI Photo/Vijay Verma
Shedding its 'let's not disrupt' mode, Opposition on Thursday decided to step up its demand for an immediate discussion on the security breach in Parliament and stand up for 14 MPs who were suspended from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha raising the voice for a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc also decided to seek time from President Droupadi Murmu to raise the security breach in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Opposition is also now agitated by the suspension of 14 MPs, including Congress' Manickam Tagore, Trinamool Congress' Derek O'Brien and DMK's Kanimozhi, and is expected to raise the tempo on Friday.
O'Brien has announced 'maun vrat' (silent) protest in Parliament House complex while suspended Lok Sabha MPs staged protest inside the Lok Sabha chamber. Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to allow a discussion on the security breach by suspending the rules of the House.
The I.N.D.I.A bloc had earlier decided not to go into 'disruption mode' in the Winter Session but with the security breach and suspension of MPs, the leaders said they would have to recalibrate their strategy.
Describing the Wednesday breach of security in Lok Sabha Chamber as "a very grave matter, unparalleled in the recent past", he wrote, "in view of the gravity of the matter, myself in consultation with floor leaders of I.N.D.I.A parties in Parliament have come to a considered view that the matter is of such a critical importance that it needs to be raised under Rule 267 of the Rules and Procedure of Council of States (Rajya Sabha)."
"Further, till the Minister of Home Affairs makes a statement on this matter followed by a discussion under Rule 267, there is no occasion for taking up any other business in the House or even for any meeting with a view to 'sort out this matter' in any other manner," he added.
The Opposition MPs also questioned the "double standard" in not taking action against BJP MP Pratap Simha who recommended the entry of the two youths who jumped into the Lok Sabha Chambers while citing the case of Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, who was expelled from Friday on charges of sharing Parliament log-in credentials with a businessman.
In a post on 'X', the Congress said while opposition MPs were suspended, BJP MP Pratap Simha, on whose recommendation two intruders got public gallery passes, was "commended".
Kharge tweeted after suspension of MPs, "having endangered national security and the safety of the temple of our democracy -- the Parliament, the BJP is now shooting the messenger. The suspension of 14 opposition MPs from the Parliament because they wanted a discussion on the grave security breach is Suspension of Democracy!”
“What is their crime? Is it a crime to urge the Union Home Minister to make a statement in the House? Is it a crime to want a discussion on the perilous security breach ? Does it not invoke draconian shades of dictatorship, a hallmark of the present dispensation?” he added.
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said, "a horrible, undemocratic move to suspend opposition MPs for demanding an answer from the government on the shocking security breach in Parliament yesterday. On one hand 14 MPs were suspended for demanding accountability, while on the other hand, there was 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."
Trinamool Congress' Dola Sen told reporters, "in the Old Parliament, the Visitor's Gallery was strategically elevated to prevent intrusion. The new Parliament's lower gallery height facilitated yesterday's security breach." She also defended O'Brien saying it is an MP's prerogative to voice people's issues there and to seek answers on pending questions. "So, why is there a prohibition on raising demands regarding a major security breach," she said.
Kanimozhi said MPs have been suspended for asking the government to be accountable for the breach of security in the Parliament. "The BJP government cannot silence the opposition and undermine democracy in the Parliament. This is how the BJP government behaves when people ask questions. The government thinks it can silence the Opposition," she added.