Mallikarjun Kharge claims Centre not letting Rajya Sabha chairman bring back suspended MPs

On Tuesday, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, requested the House Chairman, M Venkaiah Naidu, to bring back the 12 suspended MPs, alleging that the government is "not permitting" the latter to do so. Speaking to ANI, Kharge said, "The (Rajya Sabha) chairman has full powers to suspend any rule, issue direction, or revoke it but the government is not letting him do it." "I request the chairman to use his powers to bring back these 12 (suspended) MPs to the House," he added.

Also, in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Varanasi (Kashi) in Uttar Pradesh, Kharge stated that he is in politics to collect votes.

Mallikarjun Kharge on suspension of MPs 

Congress' Rajya Sabha Leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday, December 12 stated that the suspension of 12 opposition MPs is a violation of House rules and the Constitution. "We (12 MPs) are protesting the Chairman's decision to suspend us by sitting on a dharna in front of Gandhi's statue. This is against House rules as well as the Constitution. They should lift the suspension, welcome us back, and give us the opportunity to speak our minds in the House," news agency ANI quoted Kharge as saying.

The opposition's demand to lift the suspension of 12 MPs from the Rajya Sabha resulted in disturbances and the Rajya Sabha being adjourned on Monday. The uproar began when Rajya Sabha Leader Piyush Goyal criticized the 12 MPs for failing to express regret for their behaviour, leading to their suspension from the House shortly after the House reassembled at noon following the first adjournment over the issue. 

"I want to clarify the allegation posed by the Opposition on the government to refuse the suspension of 12 MPs. We had several rounds of talks with the Opposition leaders over the issue but what we came to know is that the suspended MPs don't have any regret over their behaviour in the Rajya Sabha," Goyal said. 

While the disturbance continued, Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh adjourned the House till 2 p.m. The issue was first raised at 11 a.m. by Deputy Leader Anand Sharma, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, and DMK leader Tiruchi Siva, who asked Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu to lift the suspension of the 12 MPs, stating that "the Opposition wants the House to continue uninterrupted."

(with inputs from ANI)

Image: PTI