Sanjay Singh of AAP suspended from RS for Monsoon Session

Rajya Sabha Chairman suspends AAP MP Sanjay Singh for entire Monsoon Session.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 24 suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament, Sanjay Singh, for the entire Monsoon Session.

“The motion is that Shri Sanjay Singh be suspended for the entire duration of this session for having repeatedly violated the directive of the chair. The House approves it. Shri Sanjay Singh is suspended as a member for the entire session of this House,” said Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The motion for his suspension was proposed by the leader of the House and Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal.

Before being suspended, Sanjay Singh was seen in the Well of the House, which led to objections raised by members from the treasury benches. Both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned until 2 pm amid uproar over Manipur violence.

In response to Singh’s suspension, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “When Sanjay Singh raises a slogan, the entire opposition stands up with him. The BJP wants to put him behind bars, but they are unable to find anything against him. The government has let the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) loose behind him, and now he has been suspended from the House. These attempts are to suppress his voice, but they will fail.”

Since the beginning of the Monsoon Session on July 20, opposition members have been giving notices to both Houses for the suspension of business to hold discussions on Manipur violence. They are also seeking a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, “The issue can be easily resolved by the Prime Minister appearing in the House of which he is a member and to which he is accountable. What he said to the press, he can say here, and then the debate can start, with the Home Minister presumably being the person who can attend the rest of the debate. But for the Prime Minister to come at all, he was elected, and he should come.”

From the Opposition's point of view, the nation's most significant issue is the burning state of Manipur. There are already consequences in the neighbouring state Mizoram, and things may get worse, Tharoor added.

On Monday, members of the Opposition front, Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), held a protest near the Gandhi Statue in Parliament. At the same time, members of the BJP also protested, expressing concern over the alleged increase in crimes against women in Rajasthan.