NEW DELHI: The power tussle in Maharashtra reverberated in Parliament on Monday as opposition members staged vociferous protests, forcing adjournment of proceedings in both the Houses, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi dubbing the developments in the state as “murder of democracy”.
Gandhi set the tone for the protests in the morning when he refused to ask a supplementary question during Question Hour in the lower house while two of his party MPs, Hibi Eden and TN Prathapam, carrying a big black banner that read ‘Stop murder of democracy’ entered the Well of the House.
The action of the two Congressmen drew the ire of Speaker Om Birla, who ordered marshals to remove the two lawmakers after his warning to them to go back to their seats went unheeded. However, other Congress members, carrying placards with messages such as “save Constitution” and “save democracy”, joined in and resisted their eviction from the House and were seen jostling with the marshals, prompting the speaker to adjourn the House till noon.
“There is no point in me asking the question as democracy has been murdered in Maharashtra,” Gandhi said amid the fracas. Since the two Congress MPs were named by the Speaker, they were suspended for the day and were not present when the House reassembled at 2 pm. However, as the din continued, Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day.
Sources said it is being considered whether these two MPs can be suspended for five years for storming the Well of the House and obstructing Parliament proceedings by shouting slogans.
While most Congress members were in the Well, those from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) also started raising slogans against the BJP-led Centre from their seats. Amid the sloganeering, four bills, including the one to amend the SPG Act, were introduced in Lok Sabha.
In Rajya Sabha, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu rejected notices by opposition members seeking discussion on the happenings in Maharashtra, evoking sharp reactions from them as they raised slogans, prompting Naidu to adjourn the House.
Later at 2 pm when the House reassembled, the Congress, the Left, the DMK and other opposition members were up on their feet again, demanding discussion on the events in Maharashtra. Deputy Chairman Harivansh said since the issue is sub-judice, it cannot be discussed.
Congress members asked that if the matter was sub-judice, then why was Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi allowed to speak on the matter in the House. (PTI)
