India opposition protest MPs' mass suspension: 'Behave democratically'

PARLIAMENTARIANS of India's opposition INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc on Thursday (21) marched from Parliament to Vijay Chowk in New Delhi to protest the suspension of several opposition lawmakers from the parliament over their protest demanding a statement from home minister Amit Shah about the security breach on December 13.

Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the opposition Indian National Congress, asserted that prime minister Narendra Modi had violated parliamentary privilege by not speaking on the security breach issue inside the House.

Carrying a huge "Save Democracy" banner and placards with messages like "Opposition MPs Suspended", "Parliament Caged' and "Democracy Expelled" written on them, the lawmakers took out the march.

Read: Sonia Gandhi accuses Modi government of strangulating democcracy

Speaking with reporters at Vijay Chowk, Kharge, 81, said it is the right of the opposition to speak in a democracy and as representatives of people, it is the legislators' responsibility to convey the sentiments of the people in parliament.

The opposition wanted to speak on the issue but Modi and Shah did not turn up either in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha -- the two Houses of the parliament -- even as the PM continued to make speeches elsewhere, Kharge added.

Read: India parliament security breach protest: 49 more MPs suspended

"We wanted to raise parliament security breach issue as to why it happened and who is responsible," Kharge said.

"Parliament is a big Panchayat. If one will not speak in Parliament where would one speak. It is unfortunate that Home Minister Shah and Prime Minister Modi did not come to the House to apprise about the security breach. They spoke about issues which should be spoken in the House, outside it.

"He (Modi) talks in Varanasi, Ahmedabad, on TV but not in Parliament. They have disrespected the House. He should come and speak in the House first, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Instead of that he was speaking outside. This is condemnable and it was a violation of privilege (of House)," Kharge alleged.

Opposition MPs are repeatedly requesting Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, the vice president of India, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to allow the lawmakers to speak on the security breach issue, Kharge said, alleging that the ruling party members were disturbing proceedings.

This shows that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party does not have faith in democracy and does not want discussion and debate, the Congress chief alleged.

Kharge urged the government to "behave democratically".

INDIA bloc leaders will protest at Jantar Mantar Friday (22) against suspension of MPs and nationwide protests will also be held in all district headquarters against the government's "immoral and illegal" behaviour of this government, Kharge, the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury; Congress general secretary K C Venugopal; National Conference's Hasnain Masoodi; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Mahua Maji and Samajwadi Party's ST Hasan, flanked Kharge as he made his remarks at Vijay Chowk.

Vice president mimicry controversy

In an apparent reference to the mimicry issue and Dhankhar's remarks on it, Kharge said, "I am sorry to say that the Rajya Sabha Chairman has in a way brought casteism to parliament by raising an issue.

A political row broke out on Tuesday (19) after opposition Trinamool Congress's parliamentarian Kalyan Banerjee derisively mimicked Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of parliament against the MPs' suspension, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP.

Dhankhar had given vent to his anguish in Rajya Sabha, saying he was personally hurt as his farmer and Jat backgrounds were targeted.

In a post on X after the protest march, Kharge said, "We, the people of India need to Save Democracy. Passing important legislations by suspending Opposition MPs is not Democracy. It is the worst kind of authoritarianism." "Our future generations will not forgive us, if we do not raise our voices against this dictatorship, NOW!" he said.

Two more opposition members in Lok Sabha were suspended on Wednesday for displaying placards, taking the total number of members of the lower House against whom such action has been taken to 97.

With these fresh suspensions, the total number of members suspended from the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha since December 14 has gone up to 143.

After two men jumped in the Lok Sabha chamber on December 13 and released smoke from canisters, the opposition has been disrupting House proceedings demanding a statement from Shah on the security breach.

(With PTI inputs)