Lok Sabha panel with representatives from major parties to decide on suspended Congress MPs

Amid Opposition demand for revoking suspension of seven Congress MPs and the ruling side justifying their suspension, the Lok Sabha was formally informed that a committee headed by the Speaker with representation from major parties will review the stormy events of the past couple of days and will take a decision on whether to revoke suspension or opt for harsher punishment. There are indications that the committee may also firm up functional norms for MPs.

The announcement was made on behalf of Speaker Om Birla by a presiding chairperson on Friday after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi condemned the behavior of the 7 suspended MPs and said the prime minister has conveyed to him that the government would go by the Speaker’s decision. Birla stayed away from the House for the third consecutive day over the protest.

Congress and its allies continued to protest in the House, displaying placards demanding immediate House discussion on the violence in Delhi which saw the death of 53 people and against suspension of MPs, forcing three adjournments. The Insolvency and Banking (Amend) Bill, 2020, and The Mineral Laws (Amend) Bill, 2020, were passed amid protest through voice vote without discussions.


Earlier, Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Trinamool leader Sudhip Bandopadhyaya, DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran and NCP’s Supriya Sule argued the suspension of 7 MPs for the rest of the budget session was too harsh and appealed to the Chair to revoke the action. However, JDU floor leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh deplored the conduct of Congress MPs and justified the suspension. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said during UPA regime, 45 MPs were suspended and called for disqualification of MPs who behaved in a disorderly way.

Stressing that the action against MPs were disproportionate, Congress’ Chowdhury said “all our colleagues did was demand a discussion on the Delhi riots. I don’t know on what basis they have been suspended. A pickpocket cannot be sent to the gallows” he said, drawing an analogy, and demanded that the suspension be revoked. Maintaining that even he won’t call the suspended MPs pickpockets, minister Joshi said “the government does not want to keep any MP outside Parliament. But what happened yesterday (MPs snatching papers from the presiding chairperson’s desk) never happened in the 70 years of independent India.”