New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday revoked, with immediate effect, the suspension of eight opposition Members of Parliament who had been barred from the House on February 3 for “unruly” behaviour. The decision came alongside a strong call from Speaker Om Birla to maintain decorum, stressing that placards, posters, photographs or AI-generated images must not be displayed inside the House or within the Parliament complex.
The revocation followed a request by Congress member K. Suresh, who described the earlier disruptions as regrettable and assured the House of his party’s willingness to cooperate in ensuring smooth proceedings. His appeal was supported by several opposition members.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said there was a need to draw a “Laxman Rekha” to safeguard the orderly functioning of the House, a sentiment that found agreement across both treasury and opposition benches. Speaker Birla reiterated that all members must adhere to rules prohibiting displays within the Parliament complex.
Rijiju subsequently moved a motion to revoke the suspension of seven Congress MPs and one Communist Party of India (Marxist) member, which was adopted by a voice vote. The MPs reinstated are Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Prashant Padole and Dean Kuriakose of the Congress, and S Venkatesan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The eight members had been suspended for the remainder of the ongoing Budget session, scheduled to conclude on April 2, following a resolution passed in the first half of the session.
During the discussion, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav backed the revocation and assured that his party would uphold the dignity of the House. However, he also urged ruling alliance members to maintain proper conduct, specifically naming Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey and asking him to “correct himself”. Dubey rejected the allegation, stating that in his 17-year parliamentary career he had never acted in a manner that undermined the House’s dignity, and demanded an apology.
Nationalist Congress Party leader Supriya Sule emphasised the need for mutual respect between the ruling and opposition benches, cautioning against personal remarks and reiterating that a “Laxman Rekha” should not be crossed.
Janata Dal (United) leader and Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh also called for cooperation from both sides to ensure smooth functioning of the House.
Rijiju asserted that ruling alliance members had not violated parliamentary rules in the past and would continue to abide by them. “People did not elect us to disrupt proceedings or stage protests. The House must function smoothly with everyone’s cooperation,” he said.
Suresh added that opposition members had refrained from displaying placards or banners since Monday and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining order and ensuring the proper functioning of the House.
With PTI inputs