Seven out of the 13 Lok Sabha MPs from Punjab, all from the INDIA bloc, have faced suspension for disrupting House proceedings. AAP MP Sushil Kumar Rinku and six Congress MPs from Punjab, including Manish Tewari, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Mohd Sadiq, Jasbir Singh Gill, and Dr. Amar Singh, remain suspended. The lone exception is Congress’ Patiala MP, Preneet Kaur, who had been earlier suspended for “anti-party” activities.
Preneet Kaur, Congress’ Patiala MP, was suspended for her continued participation in BJP meetings in Patiala after her husband, former CM Amarinder Singh, joined the BJP. She was also among the six members of the Lok Sabha ethics panel that recommended the disqualification of TMC MP Mahua Moitra. Preneet did not participate in the protest by INDIA bloc constituents in the Lok Sabha. Five other MPs from Punjab who have avoided suspension are BJP MPs Sunny Deol and Som Parkash from Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur, respectively; SAD MPs Harsimrat Badal and Sukhbir Badal, and SAD (Amritsar) leader and Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann. While expressing opposition to suspensions as “against democracy” and advocating for Opposition participation in Parliament proceedings, SAD has not aligned with the INDIA bloc.
A senior SAD leader clarified that while they cannot align with Congress, Sukhbir Badal was absent during the suspensions, and Harsimrat did not participate in the INDIA bloc protest.Harsimrat flagged the absence of a majority of Opposition members during Lok Sabha discussions on proposed criminal laws, stating that significant bills should not be passed in such a manner. She referred to the emotional sentiments of Punjab’s youth during the militancy period and questioned the continued imprisonment of Bandi Singhs since the mid-1980s.
Simranjit Singh Mann criticized the undemocratic debate on bills in the absence of the Opposition. He proposed addressing these bills when the Opposition is present and suggested bringing the office of the national security advisor (NSA) under the purview of Parliament. He emphasized that the bills exclude the NSA, RAW director, and IB director, who are not accountable to Parliament, and their secret services funds are unaudited.
