Parliament winter session: Opposition leaders stage walkout as Naidu refuses to revoke suspension of 12 MPs
The leader of the opposition, said that a motion to suspend an MP can only be taken on the day of misconduct and called suspension of 12 MPs a “gross violation of rules of procedure”.
FollowOpposition members including the Congress and Trinamool Congress staged a walkout from the Upper House after Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday rejected the demand of Opposition parties to revoke the suspension of 12 MPs over “unruly behaviour” on August 11.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge raised the matter of the suspensions soon after reports of some standing committees were laid on the table. Kharge termed the suspensions as “gross violation of rules and procedure” and “violation of well-established and time-honoured” parliamentary provisions. Kharge alleged that the suspensions were done “selectively”.
“The bitter experience of the last Monsoon Session still continues to haunt most of us. I was expecting and waiting for the leading lights of the House to take lead in expressing outrage over what happened in the last Session,” said Naidu during the discussion in the Upper House.
“Such assurance would have helped me in handling the matter appropriately but unfortunately it will not be,” he added.
Kharge asked, “The incident happened in the last monsoon session. So how can you take this decision now?” “The moving of the motion, and its adoption is a gross violation of procedure regarding suspension of members, provided under rule 256,” said Kharge.
