Hibi Eden slams PM's 'surrender' to US, vows to continue protest

Suspended Congress MP Hibi Eden criticised PM Modi over a US trade deal, alleging a 'surrender' and 'shady dealings.' The party vowed to continue protests after eight MPs were suspended for creating a ruckus over the China standoff issue.

Suspended MPs Slam Govt, Vow to Continue Protest

Suspended Congress MP Hibi Eden on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a recent trade agreement with the United States, alleging a "surrender" to America and highlighting what he called 'shady dealings', stating that the party will continue its protest both inside and outside Parliament following the suspension of eight MPs.

Speaking to ANI outside Parliament, Hibi Eden said eight Congress MPs have been suspended, but the party will continue its protest both inside and outside Parliament. "The Leader of the Opposition clearly mentioned why he is not able to speak inside the Parliament. It is because of the kind of surrender the Prime Minister has made in front of America, how the trade agreement was signed, and the shady things which have happened in the trade agreement. Epstein is something which has to be discussed in the parliament, but all these things have not been discussed. We would continue our protest inside and outside the house. Eight of our MPs are suspended, but we will continue our fight inside and outside the parliament," he told ANI.

Suspended Congress MP Prashant Padole told ANI, "They suspend whoever speaks in the interests of the public...Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi raised the issue that Parliament should be aware of the activities of other nations in our vicinity and our stand against it... They tried to suppress his voice and when we raised our voice against it, they suspended us."

The eight suspended MPs are Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, Prashant Padole, S. Venkatesan, and Dean Kuriakose. They were suspended for the remainder of the ongoing Budget Session in connection with the incident.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi said that there would be no need for ruckus if the opposition were allowed to speak freely. "There is no meaning of any debates in parliament if the treasury benches have to decide what the opposition has to speak. What is the point of any discussion or debate in parliament? If you let us speak, then there is no need for any ruckus. I don't understand why 8 MPs should be suspended for no reason," Kanimozhi told reporters.

Uproar Over China Standoff Remarks Led to Suspension

Meanwhile, eight opposition members were suspended from the Lok Sabha on Tuesday for the remainder of the budget session for violating rules and "throwing papers on the chair" following an uproar in the House over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's insistence on mentioning a specific reference to the 2020 standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.

The House, which witnessed two adjournments earlier in the day, resumed proceedings at 3 pm.

Rahul Gandhi stated that he would not quote from any magazine article or unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane, but would instead make remarks on Chinese actions during the Kailash Range standoff and the government's response.

The government, however, maintained that Rahul Gandhi could not quote from an unpublished memoir or a magazine article based on it. The Chair directed him to resume his speech on the motion of thanks to the President's Address and adhere to the ruling already given.

As Rahul Gandhi continued to press his point, the Chair called upon other members to speak on the motion of thanks. Opposition members resorted to sloganeering, which intensified after a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) member began his speech. Amid the uproar, some members were seen throwing papers, forcing the House to be adjourned.

When the House resumed its proceedings, BJP member Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair, named eight opposition members. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the motion for suspension of the eight members for the remainder of the budget session for "violating rules and throwing papers on the chair." The motion was adopted by the House amid protests from the opposition members.

The suspended MPs include Congress members Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy and Dean Kuriakose, along with CPI (M) MP S. Venkatesan.

The Lok Sabha had witnessed repeated adjournments on Monday as well over the stalemate surrounding Rahul Gandhi's attempts to make references to the magazine article. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)