NEW DELHI: Twelve suspended Rajya Sabha MPs of the opposition parties holding day-long protests in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Parliament complex will continue to do so every day till their suspension is revoked.
The leaders termed the suspension order "autocratic" and asserted that they will not apologise for "raising people's issues".
"Our protest will go on until this illegal suspension is revoked. Our MPs have been protesting in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Every day from 10 am to 11 am opposition MPs are protesting and will continue to do so. The suspended MPs are also sitting in protest and will do so every day from 10 am to 5 pm in front of the Gandhi statue," Ripun Bora, one of the suspended MPs, told PTI.
Describing the suspension order as "autocratic", he said Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu should explain why they have been suspended as they were raising farmers' and peoples' issues such as price rise and Pegasus snooping allegations.
"Is that an offence? Should we apologise for it?" he asked rhetorically.
Another suspended MP Syed Naseer Hussain echoed similar views and asked how can the MPs be asked to apologise for raising people's issues such as farm laws agitation, probe into the Pegasus matter, price rise and fuel cost hikes.
"We will continue our protest. We may also escalate it to other forms of protest if the suspension is not revoked," he told PTI.
As many as 12 opposition MPs were suspended from the Rajya Sabha on Monday for the entire Winter Session of Parliament for their "unruly" conduct in the previous session in August, even as the Opposition termed the suspension as "undemocratic and in violation of all the Rules of Procedure" of the Upper House.
Six from the Congress, two each from the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from the CPI and CPI(M) have been suspended.
The MPs are Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, Bora, Rajamani Patel, Hussain and Akhilesh Prasad Singh of the Congress; Dola Sen, Shanta Chhetri of Trinamool Congress; Priyanka Chaturvedi, Anil Desai of Shiv Sena; Elamaram Kareem of CPM; and Binoy Viswam of the CPI.
Venkaiah Naidu has said he was not considering Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge's appeal of revoking the action as the suspended MPs have not shown any remorse, but on the contrary, justified their acts.