NEW DELHI: More than 40 MPs of Opposition, including Congress stalwart MP Shashi Tharoor, faced suspension from the Lok Sabha. Tharoor’s voice, usually resonant with articulate speeches, now echoed with concern and dismay over the suspension of MPs accusing BJP of orchestrating the move to make Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, ‘Opposition free’.
“It is clear that they want an Opposition free Lok Sabha and they will do something similar in Rajya Sabha. At this point, unfortunately, we have to start writing obituaries for Parliamentary democracy in India,” Tharror lamented.
Frustration reverberated through his tone as he spoke of solidarity among his colleagues. “Today, in solidarity with my colleagues, I too joined the protest and everybody who was present has been suspended for the rest of the session which means they want to pass their Bills without any discussion. I think it is a betrayal of Parliamentary democracy,” he recounted.
The Congress MP further stated that the act of suspending Opposition MPs is a betrayal of Parliamentary democracy. “It’s a betrayal of Parliamentary democracy. It’s a betrayal of what Parliament is all about. It’s a betrayal of the basic standards, principles, and conventions by which this house should function,” he said.
Tharoor also claimed that when the Grand Old party was in power, they brought everyone together. He said, “When we speak of Parliamentary decorum, we talk in terms of what are the right things to be done, it’s the responsibility of the government to let the Opposition participate properly. When we were in power, we made sure that the Opposition was brought along.”
Opposition MPs including Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Derek O’Brien, Kalyan Banerjee and Dimple Yadav along with others have been suspended from Lok Sabha.
