Indian Opposition Parties Storm Out of Parliament, Demand 12 Lawmakers' Suspension be Revoked
10:57 GMT 30.11.2021 (Updated: 20:37 GMT 19.10.2022)
© AP Photo / Manish Swarup
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On Monday – the first day of the Indian Parliament's winter session – 12 opposition lawmakers were suspended for "obstructing" the House with "unprecedented acts" on the last day of the previous session. The parliamentarians have been suspended for the entire current session that will last until 23 December.
All opposition parties in both houses of India's Parliament staged a walkout in protest on Tuesday, minutes after M. Venkaiah Naidu, the chairperson of the Upper House (Rajya Sabha), said that the suspension of the 12 lawmakers will stand.
"The members who had committed the sacrilege against the House have not shown remorse. So, I think the appeal by the opposition (to revoke the suspensions) is not worth considering," Naidu said.
Congress politician Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the party staged the walkout to support the suspended parliamentarians. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led-government of using suspension as a "threat" to silence the opposition.
लोकतंत्र में भाजपाई हिटलरशाही के खिलाफ विपक्षी दलों के साथ कांग्रेस सांसद संसद परिसर में गाँधी जी की प्रतिमा के समक्ष प्रदर्शन कर रहे हैं।
— Congress (@INCIndia) November 30, 2021
भाजपा सरकार को विपक्ष के 12 सांसदों का निलंबन निरस्त करना होगा, तानाशाही नहीं चलेगी। #BJP_चर्चा_से_डरती_है pic.twitter.com/M3bo5qI4KX
Earlier on Tuesday, 16 opposition parties met Naidu to discuss the issue.
15 opposition parties attending a joint opposition meeting in Parliament House today. These parties are @INCIndia, DMK, Shiv Sena, NCP, CPM, CPI, RJD, IUML, MDMK, LJD, NC, RSP, TRS, Kerala Congress and VCK#LokSabha #RajyaSabha pic.twitter.com/PTyMVaqMhW
— Dhairya Maheshwari (@dhairyam14) November 30, 2021
The opposition parties warn that if the contentious suspension is not revoked, they will boycott the entire session of the Upper House.
Of the 12 suspended lawmakers, six belong to Congress, two are from Trinamool Congress, another two are from Shiv Sena, while one is from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and another from the Communist Party of India Binoy Viswam.
