“Murder of democracy, insult to Constitution”: Supriya Sule on suspension of 143 Opposition MPs

Nationalist Congress Party leader Supriya Sule, who actively rallied outside the BJP-led Centre, said on Thursday that the expulsion of opposition MPs from both Houses of Parliament was a ‘murder of democracy.’ 143 opposition members of both houses were arrested for demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on December 13 breach of security in Parliament for creating ruckus and disrupting proceedings.

The suspended MP compared the prevailing situation to the state of emergency that was imposed in the country during Indira Gandhi’s prime ministership in 1975 and said it seemed like an undeclared emergency. She stated, “This is the murder of democracy, a violation of the constitution. The country is governed according to the constitution and I condemn the fact that (more than) 140 members of parliament have been suspended. It seems that a state of emergency has been established in the country.” Sule said that three bills dealing with penal laws of the colonial past – Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita Bill, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita Bill and Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill – were passed without 97 opposition members in the Lok Sabha.

On December 13, a total of 143 MPs – 97 from the Lok Sabha and 46 from the Rajya Sabha were suspended for creating ruckus and disrupting proceedings in both houses to demand a statement from a Union minister on the security breach. John Brittas of the CPI(M), another member of parliament who took part in the protest march, said the Center should now amend the Constitution to say “India is a monarchy”. He added, “We protest against the brutal killing of democracy. Our democracy was murdered. One could see the Union home minister on one side (by pushing through the draft penal law). This is the opposition Mukti Parliament. They (the Centre) should now amend the constitution to say that India is a monarchy!”

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge posted on his X-handle that passing important laws by blocking opposition MPs is not democracy but authoritarianism and citizens of India must save democracy. Passing major legislation by firing opposition MPs is not democracy she published a post on X commenting, “We, the people of India need to Save Democracy. Passing important legislation 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 !”