Suspension of 25 Congress members echoes in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: The suspension of 25 Congress MPs and the resultant boycott by several parties had its echo in the Lok Sabha today with a BJD member making a strong plea against taking up any legislative business in the absence of the opposition.

Tathagata Satpathy raised the matter during Zero Hour at the fag end of his submission on the situation caused in parts of Odisha due to severe floods.

Satpathy said that since several opposition members were not in the House today, official business like passage of bills should not be taken up.

He preceded his plea by hailing the "perseverence and patience" of Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in "dealing with the situation that has arisen".

25 of Congress party's 44 members were suspended yesterday for five working days for continuously disrupting the House by demanding resignation of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over Lalit Modi issue and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over Vyapam scam.

AIADMK leader P Venugopal, who was the only opposition member sitting on the first column of opposition benches in the wake of the suspension and the boycott, sought to raise the issue of suspension but was disallowed by the Speaker.

BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab had also indicated that he wanted to raise the issue after Venugopal.

Speaker told Venugopal that he cannot raise the issue of suspension as the matter cannot be discussed in the House. She said she thought he wanted to raise issue concerning fishermen.

Despite the absence of Congress members and that of several opposition parties, the House did witness protests with YSR Congress members, carrying placards, storming the Well seeking special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

TRS members, with slogans written on paper pinned to their shirts, also staged protests from the aisle demanding separate High Court for Telangana.

The House then took up the discussion on Demands for Excess Grants (Railways).