Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till noon on Tuesday following a commotion created by Opposition MPs. The disruptions centered around the recent Parliament security breach incident and the suspension of 78 MPs on Monday, marking the largest-ever action in the history of the Indian Parliament. In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla appealed to members to allow the Question Hour to proceed smoothly, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the House’s dignity. However, the Opposition MPs continued their protests, ignoring the Speaker’s call. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi claimed that Opposition members brought morphed photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi into the House, condemning the act.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 1230 hours as Opposition MPs continue to protest over issues of suspension of 92 MPs and Parliament security breach incident https://t.co/bPf5CUyVCk
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
Meanwhile, suspended MPs from the INDIA bloc parties staged protests on Parliament premises, joined by Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The protests come a day after the suspension of 78 MPs—33 from Lok Sabha and 45 from Rajya Sabha—for the remainder of the Winter Session. The suspensions were a result of disruptions over the Opposition’s demand for a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the Parliament security breach. The unprecedented move, combined with earlier suspensions, brought the total number of lawmakers suspended for the ongoing session to 92. While 34 Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended for the rest of the Winter Session, 11 others had their ‘misconduct’ cases referred to the Privileges Committee. The ongoing Winter Session is scheduled to conclude on December 22, raising concerns about the functioning of Parliament amid heightened tensions between ruling and opposition parties.