Abhishek Singhvi slams 12 Rajya Sabha MPs' suspension, Cong MP says 'BJP has majority now'

Amid the ouster of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs, Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi on Monday, opined that the reduced Opposition strength would give BJP the majority to pass all listed bills in the Upper House. Terming the ouster undemocratic, unlawful, and unconstitutional, he said that there was no such parallel in history of parliamentary democracy. BJP currently has 97 MPs in the 245-seat Upper House, where 7 seats lie vacant.

Singhvi: 'BJP has majority in RS now'

12 Opposition MPs suspended

On Monday, the Rajya Sabha suspended 12 members on the grounds of indiscipline, referring to the ruckus that had been caused during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament. The suspension notice stated, "The MPs have lowered the dignity of the House by unprecedented acts of misconduct through their violent behaviour and 'intentional attacks' on security personnel on the last day of the monsoon session on August 11". The suspension was carried via voice vote.

The 12 MPs - CPM's Elamaram Kareem, Congress' Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, Ripun Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Nasir Hussain, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, CPI's Binoy Viswam, TMC's Dola Sen & Shanta Chhetri, Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi & Anil Desai were suspended on Monday for the ruckus they did in the previous session. Their suspension was met by uproar in the Rajya Sabha before the House was adjourned. However, government sources have hinted that there may be a revocation of their suspension provided they tender an apology.

On the other hand, the Opposition parties released a joint statement condemning the suspension.  In the statement, the leaders have called the move 'unwarranted' and 'undemocratic'. "The floor leaders of Opposition parties of Rajya Sabha will meet tomorrow to deliberate on the future course of action to resist the authoritarian decision of the Government and defend Parliamentary democracy," read the statement signed by Congress, DMK, SP, NCP, Shiv Sena, RJD, CPI(M), CPI, IUML, LJD, JDS, MDMK, TRS, and AAP read.

Ruckus during Monsoon Session

Earlier on August 11, during the last day of the Monsoon Session, massive ruckus occurred in Rajya Sabha with Opposition parties accusing marshals of manhandling women parliamentarians in the Upper House. The MPs climbed on the officials' tables, waved black cloths and threw files at the Chair in protest. Objecting to the presence of security personnel during the passage of the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021, the opposition staged a walkout. According to Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, the number of marshals present in the Rajya Sabha exceeded the number of MPs and lamented that women are unsafe even in Parliament.