Parliament Turmoil: 92 Opposition MPs suspended for conduct issues in 2023 Winter Session so far

In a surprising turn of events during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, a total of 92 Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) have faced suspension from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. As the session approachs the conclusion in four days, the count is just eight short of reaching a significant century.

The recent wave of suspensions saw 34 Rajya Sabha members barred from participating in the remaining session on Monday. Additionally, the names of 11 other members were referred to the Privileges Committee, leading to their suspension pending the committee's report.

The reason behind the suspension of 47 Opposition MPs for the rest of the Winter Session was cited as "misconduct" and failure to adhere to the directions of the Chair. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved the motion for suspension, asserting that members had been violating established rules.


Joshi elaborated on the misconduct, stating, "This House has taken a serious note of the misconduct of several members, including the display of play cards in the House. The members listed for suspension include Kalyan Bannerjee, A Raja, Dayanidhi Maran, Afrooq Poddar, Prasoon Banerjee, ET Mohammed Basheer, G Selvam, CN Annadurai, Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, T Sumathy, K Navaskami, K Ravirasami, NK Premchandran, Saugata Roy, Ashit Kumar, Shatabdi Roy, Kaushendra Kumar, Anto Antony, SS Pallimanickam, Pratibha Mandal, Kakoli Ghosh, K Muralidharan, Sunil Mandal, Ramlimgam, K Suresh, Amar Singh, Rajamohan, Gaurav Gogai, and TR Balu."

While 31 MPs faced suspension for the remainder of the Winter Session, three—K Jayakumar, Vijay Vasanth, and Abdul Khaleque—were suspended pending the Privileges Committee's report. The latter three had climbed onto the Speaker's podium to raise slogans, contributing to the disorder in the House.

The matter concerning the suspension of Lok Sabha MPs Abdul Khaliq, Vijay Vasanth, and K Jeyakumar has been referred to the Privileges Committee.

The Lok Sabha's session on the day was adjourned amidst continuous protests by opposition members concerning the breach of Parliament's security that occurred on December 13. The opposition has been persistently demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the security breach. The Rajya Sabha, too, has witnessed repeated adjournments on the same issue.

On December 14, a day following the security breach, 13 Lok Sabha MPs and one Rajya Sabha MP were suspended for "unruly conduct" in Parliament. Notable figures among the suspended MPs include Manickam Tagore, Kanimozhi, PR Natrajan, VK Sreekandan, Benny Bahanan, K Subramanyam, S Venkatesan, and Mohammad Jawed from the Lok Sabha, with Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool Congress being the sole MP suspended from the Rajya Sabha.

As the Winter Session progresses, the suspension of a substantial number of Opposition MPs adds a layer of complexity to the parliamentary proceedings, with both Houses witnessing disruptions and adjournments amid the ongoing debates on security issues.

(With inputs from agencies)