Fourteen Opposition MPs staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue on December 15 against a suspension invoked upon them for disrupting proceedings of both the Houses of Parliament on Thursday.
Among the suspended parliamentarians, nine are from the Congress, two from the CPM, and one each from the CPI, DMK, and the Trinamool Congress. The protesting lawmakers were also joined by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
“BJP leaders have repeatedly claimed that they are the only ones capable of protecting the country. In reality, they couldn’t protect the Parliament. There was a potential risk with the Prime Minister possibly being inside the House. The party failed to safeguard its leader, and now the opposition is accused of politicising the issue,” said DMK MP K Kanimozhi.
The government is to be held accountable in this case of security breach inside the Lok Sabha and all opposition members are expecting a detailed statement from the Union home minister Amit Shah, she added.
On December 13 afternoon, while the House was in motion, two individuals - Sagar Sharma and D Manoranjan - leaped into the chamber from the public gallery in the Lok Sabha, releasing yellow gas from canisters.
They were immediately apprehended by the MPs and later, the police nabbed two more - Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde - from outside Parliament, who were engaged in a protest demonstration.
A fifth suspect, Lalit Mohan Jha, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the Parliament security breach was arrested by the Delhi Police after he reportedly surrendered before the Kartavya Path Police station on December 14 evening.
“MPs of the INDIA parties are demanding that the Home Minister make a statement in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the shocking incidents of December 13, 2023… The Home Minister is simply refusing to make such a statement on what is a very serious security issue. His refusal has led both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to get adjourned till 2pm today,” Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.
Congress MP Hibi Eden accused the BJP government of suspending people for raising demands of public importance. He said that last week TMC MP Mahua Moitra was expelled and now 14 MPs have been suspended because they were seeking a reply from the PM and Home Minister.
“The BJP government instead of taking action against the MP who issued passes to the intruders is taking unconstitutional actions against the opposition members,” Eden alleged.
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