New Delhi: Farooq Abdullah and Hasnain Masoodi of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference are among the 143 opposition lawmakers, who have been pushing for a discussion on a security breach in parliament on December 13, suspended from the legislature.
They are accused of disrupting House proceedings.
On first day, 78 opposition members of parliament were suspended for the remainder of the Winter Session.
While 49 MPs were suspended in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, 78 were suspended on Monday. Monday’s suspensions included 33 in the Lok Sabha and 45 in the Rajya Sabha. On Thursday, a total of 14 MPs had been suspended (13 in Lok Sabha and one in Rajya Sabha).
On Wednesday, two more Lok Sabha MPs were suspended.
The opposition criticises the government’s actions, labeling it a “mockery of democracy.”
They argue that passing important legislation without debate undermines the principles of parliamentary democracy.
The opposition has persistently called for a debate regarding the security breach on December 13, when two individuals entered the lower house chamber from the visitors’ gallery, opening gas canisters.
Their visitor’s pass was allegedly provided by a legislator from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Congress Member of Parliament Jairam Ramesh expressed concerns on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “A complete purge is being executed so that draconian Bills are passed without any meaningful debate, and so that the BJP MP who facilitated the entry of the two intruders into the Lok Sabha on December 13th goes scot-free.”
While Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has promised an investigation into the matter, he rebukes the opposition for insisting on a debate.
