New Delhi: Two more Opposition MPs from Lok Sabha including Thomas Chazhikadan and AM Ariff, have been suspended for remainder of Winter Session for misconduct in the House. A total of 143 MPs from both Lower and House have been suspended for inappropriate behaviour.
Advocate AM Ariff is a Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader. He won the Alappuzha constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha Election by defeating Congress candidate Advocate Shanimol Osman with a margin of 10,474 votes. Thomas Chazhikadan is a Kerala Congress (Mani) leader. He won the Kottayam constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha Election by defeating Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate VN Vasavan with a margin of 1,06,259 votes.
On Tuesday, as many as 49 more opposition lawmakers were suspended from Lok Sabha for unruly behaviour, taking the total number of MPs facing action in both Houses of Parliament to 141 and now to 143. The suspension of MPs prompted the I.N.D.I.A. coalition to announce nationwide anti-government protests on Friday.
While the opposition bloc slammed as "undemocratic" the suspension of MPs for display of placards demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the December 13 security breach in Parliament, the government justified the action as it accused the suspended MPs of insulting Lok Sabha Speaker, Rajya Sabha Chairman and the institution of Parliament.
A political row broke out as Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament against the MPs' suspension, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP.
Rahul Gandhi was seen making a video of the performance by Banerjee who appeared to mimic the way Dhankhar walked by leaning forward and made reference to having a spine.
Dhankhar gave vent to his anguish in Rajya Sabha, saying he was personally hurt as his farmer and Jat backgrounds were targeted.
"Imagine what must be going through my heart when your senior leader videographs a Member of Parliament mocking the institution of the chairman," he said in Rajya Sabha.
"...You used Twitter, the official handle of the spokesperson, to demean me, insult me, insult my background as a farmer, insult my position as a Jat, insult my position as chairman," Dhankhar said addressing Congress member P Chidambaram in Rajya Sabha.
78 MPs were suspended on Monday
On Monday, 45 opposition members were suspended in Rajya Sabha and 33 in Lok Sabha. Last week, 13 opposition members were suspended from the Lok Sabha and one was suspended from the Rajya Sabha for disrupting the proceedings.
In Lok Sabha, 39 of the total 48 members of the Congress have been suspended, 16 of the 24 DMK members, 13 of the 22 Trinamool members and 11 of the 16 JDU members have faced action.
Among the suspended members are floor leaders of the Congress, Trinamool, DMK, JDU, National Conference and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction).
With inputs from PTI
