NEW DELHI: The Opposition on Monday decided to take up the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs with the government even as the Upper House of Parliament witnessing repeated adjournments and it could not take up the listed discussion on price rise.
Non-BJP parties held a meeting at the chamber of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge where it was decided that they should press for revocation of suspension of MPs.
Sources said at the meeting, the Congress was of the view that they should participate in discussion on price rise as it is directly linked to people but the DMK, the RJD and others were of the view that suspension of MPs is important for it violated all rules and procedures.
The 12 MPs continue to sit in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament to protest their suspension but the Centre insists that either they should apologise or Kharge condemn their act inside the House.
While Kharge said that it was shameful that the MPs have been suspended, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said that the Opposition was running away from discussion and was disrupting the house TMC MP Derek O’Brien said this situation of suspending 12 MPs is abnormal and normalcy cannot return to the House unless this is resolved.
On the government’s demand for an apology to the house, O’Brien said: “Let the PM come and express regrets first for robbing members’ rights by bull dozing these bills. Government is accountable to Parliament and Parliament is accountable to the people, but Modi-Shah is subverting it.”
The opposition MPs were in the Well of the House when Union home minister Amit Shah read out a statement on Nagaland killings. The House was adjourned for the day immediately after Shah presented
his statement on the unfortunate civilian killings that took place in Nagaland.
DMK MP Tiruchy Siva contended that the Opposition was not running away for genuine issues. “The Lok Sabha is functioning and every party has members in the Lower House also. We are raising the issues there,” he said.
Tharoor says no to show in protest
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said he would not host a talk show for Sansad TV until the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha members was revoked. Continuing to host the show would make him complicit in the undemocratic manner in which Parliamentary institutions were being run, he added. Accusing the Sansad TV of being part of the problem, Tharoor said that cameras focus on the members of the Treasury benches while ignoring the Opposition.
Retrospective clause criticised
The Opposition strongly opposed the introduction of the Narcotic Drugs and psychotropic substances (Amendment) Bill, saying that the retrospective penal clause is against the rule of law. The Bill is an example of “bad drafting” of the legislative proposal, it said. RSP MP N K Premchandran said the Bill violates fundamental rights since it seeks to punish offences committed at times when no such law existed. BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahatab also opposed the Bill.