Eight opposition MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the Budget session for “unruly behaviour”.
One of the suspended MPs, Congress leader Manickam Tagore, spoke to TNIE’s Preetha Nair about the suspensions and accused the government of “blatantly violating parliamentary norms.”
The government says that you and other MPs were suspended for the rest of the Budget session for violating House rules by throwing papers at the Chair. How do you respond?
To understand this incident, it is important to look at both the action and the reaction. I have been a Member of Parliament for the past 12 years and have seen how leaders of the opposition, such as Sushma Swaraj, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and now Rahul Gandhi, are being treated under different regimes. Unfortunately, the manner in which Rahul Gandhi is being treated by the ruling party is particularly unfair.
As the LoP, Rahul Gandhi was allotted four hours to speak on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. However, throughout his speech, at least four ministers continuously disrupted him.
The ruling party questioned the authenticity of a reference he made from the book of former Army Chief General Manoj Naravane. General Naravane is a former Army Chief, not a Pakistani general.
Today, the LoP submitted the authentication to the Lok Sabha Secretary General; despite that, the matter was bulldozed. He was still not allowed to speak, and instead, the Chair attempted to call other opposition members.
However, all opposition members refused to speak. We were not protesting against the Chair, but against the government, which is trying to silence the opposition voices.
We are united, strong on the floor of the House, and we will not allow this bulldozing attitude. We will continue to resist this undemocratic approach.
The Budget session is a crucial one, and you will not be able to take part for the remainder of it…
For the past two days, I have been submitting adjournment notices seeking a discussion on the Epstein files, in which there is a mention of Prime Minister Modi. This is why they do not want me in Parliament. That is one of the reasons we have been forced out of the House.
The government said that it held discussions with Congress leaders to reach a consensus, yet the issue remains unresolved. How do you respond?
The Speaker convened a meeting with government and opposition leaders today. The government said they want authentication from the Leader of the Opposition regarding the reference to General Naravane’s book. The LOP gave the required authentication. Despite this, the government continued to shift the goalposts.
The government wants to hide the truth. It shows they are under immense pressure. The government does not want Rahul Gandhi to speak because it knows he will raise uncomfortable questions on the Epstein files, the India-China border issue, and the India-US trade deal.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said that Rahul Gandhi appeared to be uncomfortable with the nation’s development. How do you react to that?
The India–US deal is a slap in the face of this government. Indian goods will face an 18% tariff, while American goods will enter India at zero tariff. On top of this, India is being forced to purchase goods worth USD 500 billion from the US. This will also severely impact Indian farmers, agricultural products, and other domestic sectors.
What the government is celebrating today is the failure of its own trade minister, who is now trying to justify this deal outside Parliament while speaking about what “we are doing” inside it.
When the opposition is not allowed to speak, and when the minister himself is not present in Parliament, such claims ring hollow. He should have made a statement on the floor of the House, where we could have listened, debated, and held the government accountable.
Will you continue the protests against the suspension?
Yes, we plan to continue our protests against the suspensions. All eight MPs will stage a demonstration at the Makar Dwar tomorrow against the injustice done to us. We will hold the Constitution in our hands.
