Opposition protest suspensions of 141 MPs; hold mock House proceedings

New Delhi: As many as 49 opposition MPs were suspended from the Parliament today, adding to the shock of the 79 opposition MPs being suspended in a single day. This brings the total number of MPs suspended during this session to an all-time high of 141.

To protest the suspension of MPs, opposition members staged mock House proceedings on Tuesday at the Makar Dwar of the new Parliament building.

Several opposition members, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, gathered to protest the suspension of MPs since December 14, raising slogans against Home Minister Amit Shah and seeking his response on the Parliament security breach.

Kalyan Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress mimicked the presiding officers in an impromptu skit depicting the proceedings of the House.

Due to the significant security breach that occurred in the Lok Sabha last week, opposition MPs have been protesting in both Houses of Parliament. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been under pressure to address the Parliament about the security lapse that allowed two intruders to enter the Lok Sabha chamber, jump from desk to desk, and release coloured smoke from canisters.

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha has insisted that the secretariat is responsible for handling any security-related issue in the House and that the centre will not be allowed to intervene. "The government cannot intervene in (responsibilities of) Lok Sabha secretariat. We will not allow that either," he said last week.

The suspension spree began last week. The opposition MPs began pressing for a statement from the home minister a day after the security lapse. Due to their disorderly conduct, thirteen Lok Sabha MPs and one Rajya Sabha MP were suspended. The opposition MPs continued their protest yesterday. As a result, both Houses saw a record 79 suspensions. Today's 49 added to the spree.

Of the 141 MPs, the majority have been suspended for the remainder of the session, and some are awaiting a report from the privileges committee regarding their behaviour in the House.

The opposition members of parliament have been protesting against their suspension from the parliament on its premises

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh commented on the most recent wave of suspensions on X in a post saying, a "complete purge is being executed so that draconian bills are passed without any meaningful debate".

With inputs from agencies