In a first, over 140 opposition MPs suspended from Parliament
Forty-nine opposition MPs were reportedly suspended from the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, pushing the total Parliament Winter Session suspensions to 142. They were demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on last week's Parliament security breach. Earlier on Monday, 79 MPs were suspended from both Houses—68 were suspended for the entire session and 11 Rajya Sabha MPs until the Privileges Committee submits a report.
Why does this story matter?
The suspension of 142 MPs in a single session is the highest-ever in the Indian Parliament's history. Suspended Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury earlier asserted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has "reached the heights of tyranny." While the opposition continues to target the Centre, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla maintained any security-related incidents in the House come under the Lok Sabha Secretariat's purview.
Watch: Suspended opposition MPs protest outside Parliament complex
Who are the leaders suspended today
On Tuesday, Lok Sabha Speaker Birla suspended Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) chief Farooq Abdullah along with Congress MPs Shashi Tharoor and Karti Chidambaram, among many others. Other names on the list include the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)'s Supriya Sule, the Samajwadi Party's Dimple Yadav, and the Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s Sudip Bandyopadhyay. Birla said the suspended opposition MPs disrupted the House proceedings.
'What would have happened if Shah made statement?' asks Abdullah
Why is opposition protesting
Opposition leaders are protesting the Centre's alleged silence over December 13's Parliament security breach. While the Union Home Ministry ordered a probe into the incident upon LS Secretariat's request, opposition leaders demanded a statement in the Parliament from Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Shah. They have also demanded strict action against BJP MP Prathap Simha, whose office issued visitor passes to the Parliament intruders.
Total 142 MPs suspended from Parliament
Besides the 49 MPs suspended today, 68 members—33 from Lok Sabha and 35 from Rajya Sabha—were suspended from the Parliament for the entire session on Monday. Another 11 leaders remain suspended from Rajya Sabha until a Privileged Committee report is submitted. Last week, 13 Lok Sabha MPs and one Rajya Sabha MP—TMC leader Derek O'Brien—were suspended from the remainder of the Parliament Winter Session.
What we know about Parliament security breach
On December 13, two individuals, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D, reportedly jumped into the Lok Sabha's well from the visitors' gallery, shouting slogans and setting off smoke bombs. Two other protestors, Neelam Azad and Amol Shinde, staged a similar demonstration outside the Parliament simultaneously. Later, two other individuals were arrested in connection with the case. They are currently under police custody.
