Suspended Opposition MPs protest during the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Three suspended Congress MPs Dr K Jayakumar, Abdul Khaleque and Vijay Vasanth have been summoned by the Privileges Committee of the Lok Sabha to appear before it on January 12 to record their statement in connection with "creating grave disorder in the House" during Winter Session.
The three MPs were suspended on December 18 last year till the committee submitted its report. Ninety-seven other Opposition MPs were suspended by the end of Winter Session for their protest demanding a statement by Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach in Parliament last month.
According to the notice issued by the committee, the "oral evidence" of the three MPs will be taken in connection with a motion passed in Lok Sabha on December 18 leading to their suspension from the House for "grave disorder" and referring the matter to the panel.
Khaleque said all the three Congress MPs will appear before the committee and say that all they demanded was the Home Minister to come to Parliament and speak on how the security breach happened and whose fault it was.
"A total of 146 MPs, including 46 in Rajya Sabha, were suspended. Our matter was sent to the Privileges Committee. We raised this question on the security of the Parliament and we will keep doing that. BJP MP Pratap Simha who issued the pass, should have been suspended but no action was taken against him or Ramesh Bidhuri who called an MP a terrorist. There is also no action against Brijbhushan Singh," he said.
Eleven out of 46 Rajya Sabha MPs, who were suspended, also remain under suspension till the Privileges Committee of Rajya Sabha takes up the issue. While a meeting of the Privileges Committee has been scheduled for January 9, the agenda has not been circulated with members.
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien posted on 'X', "two impeccably well-behaved Members of Parliament continue to grace the Lok Sabha- Ramesh Bidhuri and Brij Bhushan Singh. Maybe the Modi government wants all of us in Opposition to behave like them to avoid suspension from Parliament."
Bidhuri has made communal slurs against BSP MP Danish Ali while Singh faces accusation of sexual assault by women wrestlers.