Lok Sabha security breach: Suspended MPs stage sit-in protest in Parliament

Derek O'Brien held a silent protest in the Parliament complex after he was suspended from the upper house for unruly behaviour.

Suspended opposition MPs on Thursday staged a sit-in protest inside the Parliament complex over their suspension for the remainder of the Winter session from the Lok Sabha.

O'Brien walked out of the Parliament complex with a placard hanging around his neck which read "Silent Protest".(ANI)

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien held a silent protest in the Parliament complex after he was suspended from the upper house for ‘unruly behaviour’ and disrupting the house proceedings.

A total of 14 MPs - 13 from Lok Sabha and 1 from Rajya Sabha - were suspended today for the remainder of the winter session of the parliament.

Amid opposition protests demanding a statement from home minister Amit Shah over the security breach incident, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved two resolutions separately for the suspension of the MPs for disrupting the Lok Sabha proceedings.

The MPs had moved into the well of the Lok Sabha raising slogans, questioning the security breach, and demanding a statement from the government.

In Lok Sabha, Joshi moved the resolution to suspend the MPs. T N Prathapan, Hibi Eden, Jothimani, Ramya Haridas and Dean Kuriakose, all from the Congress, were suspended when the first resolution was adopted. Four Congress MPs --VK Sreekandan, Benny Behanan, Mohammed Jawaid and Manickam Tagore-- along with PR Natarajan (CPI-M), Kanimozhi (DMK), K Subbarayan (CPI), SR Parthiban (DMK) and S Venkatesan (CPI-M) were suspended through the second resolution.

Derek O'Brien was suspended for "ignoble misconduct" in the upper house. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said the TMC MP disrupted the proceedings of the House by entering into the Well of the House, “continuously shouting slogans gesticulating at the Chair”.

Subsequently, the chair asked O'Brien to leave the House, but the opposition MP did not relent and protested instead. Later, a resolution on breach of privilege was also moved against him for staying in the House after suspension, and the matter was referred to the Privileges Committee of Rajya Sabha.

O'Brien walked out of the Parliament complex with a placard hanging around his neck which read "Silent Protest". He refused to speak on the issue.

The opposition has slammed the centre over the suspension of the MPs. Kanimozhi, who is among the suspended MPs, accused the government of sparing Pratap Simha but expelling Mahua Moitra "without even the inquiry being complete".

Congress MP Manickam Tagore, one of the suspended MPs, said, “Our only demand was that the Home Minister Amit Shah must come to Parliament and make a statement on yesterday's security breach in Parliament. For that, MPs were suspended. It shows the mentality of this Government."

“This Government's mentality is becoming like the Hitler Raj of Germany which is not ready to hear and answer the questions of Opposition parties...INDIA Alliance will meet tomorrow morning and leaders will decide what has to be done,” he said.

“We are united and have a genuine demand that the Home Minister must come to the Parliament, make a statement first and then answer the queries of the Opposition,” Tagore added.

The Lok Sabha security breach incident snowballed into a major row on Thursday with the government asking the opposition not to "politicise" the "grave national issue".

(With inputs from ANI, PTI)