New Delhi, March 17: The suspension of eight Opposition members of the Lok Sabha was revoked on Tuesday after a proposal moved by Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, following an expression of “regret” from the Congress leadership regarding the conduct of some MPs. The suspended MPs — Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Prashant Yadaorao Padole, S. Venkatesh and Dean Kuriakose — all belong to the Indian National Congress.
The eight lawmakers had been suspended on February 3 for the remainder of the Budget Session after they were accused of disrupting proceedings in the House and throwing papers towards the Chair during a heated exchange. The development came after Congress Chief Whip K. Suresh conveyed regret over what he described as the “inadvertent indiscretion” by some members during the proceedings.
Following this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju moved a proposal in the House seeking to revoke the suspension of the MPs. The proposal received support from Dharmendra Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party (SP). Addressing the House, Rijiju emphasised the need for clearly defined boundaries to ensure smooth and effective functioning of parliamentary proceedings.
“Rules are a convention of business,” he said while stressing that maintaining discipline and respecting parliamentary procedures was essential for the proper functioning of the legislature. He also referred to earlier discussions between the Treasury benches and the Opposition regarding adherence to parliamentary rules. Highlighting the importance of maintaining decorum in the House, he added, “If we form a Lakshman Rekha, then it will be easy for the House to proceed.”
“Yesterday, we had mentioned that if the Opposition helps us follow the rule of the House and of the Speaker, then we (treasury benches) will do the same. If the Opposition agrees… then we can reciprocate it,” Rijiju said. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister also asked the Opposition to clarify its commitment to observing parliamentary norms in order to ensure smoother proceedings in the future. The House subsequently revoked the suspension of the eight MPs through a voice vote, allowing them to resume participation in the ongoing Budget Session. Following the revocation of their suspension, the MPs visited the Parliament premises and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
IANS
