Indus Valley Times

NEW DELHI, DEC 18 : The Rajya Sabha on Monday suspended fourty-five Opposition members, including Congress MPs Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Surjewala and KC Venugopal, from the House for disrupting Parliament proceedings. While 34 members were suspended from Rajya Sabha for the remainder of the Winter session, eleven other MPs were suspended pending a report of the Privileges Committee.

The proceedings of the Rajya Sabha were adjourned three times on Monday as opposition parties led by the Congress continued their protest over the Parliament security breach.

This comes hours after thirty-three Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) were suspended from the Lok Sabha for causing disturbance in the House.

“I request that the honorable MPs should behave as per the rules in the House. Don’t turn yourself into a riot brigade. Do not let the dignity of this great House fall,” Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said.

The Winter session of Parliament has witnessed chaotic scenes since the security breach by two men on December 13, the anniversary of the 2001 terror attack on Parliament. Two men, identified as Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D, had jumped from the visitors’ gallery into the Lok Sabha chamber, opened canisters releasing coloured gas.

The opposition members have been demanding a statement from the government on the security breach incident.

Last week, 14 opposition members, 13 from the Lok Sabha and one from the Rajya Sabha, were suspended for disrupting Parliament proceedings.

-PTI