Record 141 MPs suspended during Winter Session: Leaders react | Who said what

New Delhi: Reacting to the suspension of more than 40 MPs from Lok Sabha on Tuesday, including his own, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "It is clear that they want an Opposition-mukt Lok Sabha and they will do something similar in Rajya Sabha. At this point, unfortunately, we have to start writing obituaries for Parliamentary democracy in India...Today, in solidarity with my colleagues, I too joined the protest and everybody who was present has been suspended for the rest of the session which means they want to pass their Bills without any discussion. I think it is a betrayal of Parliamentary democracy..."

On the other hand, Union minister Pralhad Joshi asserted that due to desperation after losing recent elections, Opposition leaders are taking such steps.“It was decided not to bring placards inside the House. Due to desperation after losing recent elections, they are taking such steps. This is the reason we are bringing a proposal (to suspend MPs)", Joshi told reporters.

Echoing similar remarks, AAP Lok Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Rinku claimed that those speaking the truth and asking questions have been suspended from the House today. "The public is seeing the kind of dirty politics happening in the Parliament", he added, attacking the Centre. 

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said, "I have no words. What did they think before constructing this new Parliament building? They want to make this the graveyard of democracy...You have thrown out the entire Opposition. No action has been taken against the MP who issued passes (to the security breach accused). A new rule is being set for the new Parliament - have sleeping pills and come here as you are not allowed to open your mouth and ask questions..." 

Hitting out at the Speaker, Danish Ali stated, "It is strange that the Speaker says that we are being suspended as we have violated the Parliamentary decorum. How does asking questions to the Government qualify as a violation of parliamentary decorum? It wasn't violated when abuses were hurled in the House, that MP was neither suspended nor was any action taken against him. No action was taken against the BJP on whose pass the attackers entered the House. PM and HM don't make any statements. I don't understand when did asking questions to the government qualifies to be a violation..."

For the unversed, forty-nine more Opposition MPs including Shashi Tharoor, Supriya Sule, Farooq Abdullah, Danish Ali, Karti Chidambaram, Dimple Yadav and Manish Tewari were suspended from the Lok Sabha for disrupting proceedings of the House over the Parliament security breach matter, a day after 78 opposition members were suspended from Parliament.