Congress member suspended from Rajya Sabha for day for indiscipline

NEW DELHI: Acting tough on indiscipline, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari today suspended for the day Congress member Hanumantha Rao for creating ruckus in the House and demands by some opposition members for revoking of the "harsh" order were rejected.

Ansari invoked Rule 255 to ask Rao to leave the House for the day, upset over his behaviour in the House when the opposition was pressing for response by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of conversions and other such "communal" acts.

Members of some opposition parties like Congress and Samajwadi Party created uproar over this decision and wanted it to be revoked.

Digvijay Singh (Congress) said Rao had only wanted to point out the convention that when the leader of opposition party (Anand Sharma) was speaking, others should allow him to speak.

"I request the Chair to request the Chairman to reconsider the decision," he said.

He was supported by Naresh Agarwal (Samajwadi Party) who said "This decision is too harsh."

He said there is precedence that members suspended under the Rule have been called back.

However, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said, "Rule 255 is clear that the Chairman can give a ruling on a member for gross disorderly. It confers the Chairman to invoke the rule which is absolutely right. Nobody can question it. That ruling is final."

He said the member can seek an apology from the Chairman. Rao, while talking to reporters outside the House, remained unapologetic.

The Rule 255 states: "The Chairman may direct any member whose conduct is in his opinion grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately from the Council and any member so ordered to withdraw shall do so forthwith and shall absent himself during the remainder of the day's meeting."