Centre releases footage of RS ruckus which led to suspension of 12 Opposition MPs

Escalating the fight between Opposition and Centre over the suspension of 12 MPs, Union Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday, released the Rajya Sabha TV footage of the ruckus which led to it. Naming Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, Joshi rued over the Opposition's refusal to apologise for its unruly behaviour. He added, "To err is human but to repeatedly justify it is foolish".

Centre releases footage of ruckus

Opposition rejects Govt's offer over suspension

On 20 December, the Centre invited 5 Opposition parties whose Rajya Sabha  MPs were suspended in an attempt to thaw the logjam in Parliament. This proposal was rejected by the Opposition, maintaining that the government should call an all-party meeting. 12 Opposition MPs were suspended from Rajya Sabha on disciplinary grounds for the Winter session.

"The Govt has called for a meeting of 5 Opposition parties on the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs. This is a conspiracy to divide the Opposition. All Opposition parties are united on this issue. We've written to the Govt to call an all-party meeting", said LoP Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge. The Centre has urged the 12 MPs to issue an apology to revoke their suspension, which has been rejected by the Opposition.

12 Opposition MPs suspended

On November 29 - first day of Winter Session - 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 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 for the ruckus they did in the previous session. The opposition has issued a joint statement calling the move 'unwarranted' and 'undemocratic'.

Earlier on August 11, during the last day of the Monsoon Session, a 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. Rajya Sabha TV's feed was cut amid the ruckus, adjourning the Upper House sine die.