New Delhi: Seventy-nine MPs, from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, were suspended Monday in an unprecedented development amid continuing fierce protests over last week's security breach. In addition to those already suspended, nearly 100 parliamentarians have been suspended so far.
This amounts to nearly a quarter of all opposition MPs in the final full sitting of Parliament before next year's general election. The list of those suspended includes the Congress' Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal, and Randeep Surjewala from the Rajya Sabha. From the Lok Sabha, the Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is also Leader of the Opposition, and Gaurav Gogoi have been suspended.
READ | In Unprecedented Move, Close To 100 MPs Suspended From Parliament
Speaking to NDTV, Mr Gogoi criticised the government and the "sheer arrogance" of Union Home Minister Amit Shah for refusing to address Parliament after the security breach.
"What played out (in Parliament today) was the sheer arrogance of Amit Shah, who believes it is more appropriate to speak to a private TV channel than inside Parliament... to explain how there was a breach of security. How did four people conspire to enter Parliament without this powerful Home Minister knowing anything? This is an insecure Home Minister, who refuses to admit failure..."
Asked about the government's concerns over national security being compromised if either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Mr Shah discuss the Parliament breach, Mr Gogoi pointed out both the PM and the Home Minister had spoken on this issue in exclusive interviews with newspapers.
READ | "Very Serious, Must Know Who's Behind This": PM On Parliament Breach
"Details of the investigation are being made public... through the media. Shah is speaking... it is not as he is staying mum. So if he can make a public statement on this, then why not in Parliament?"
Mr Gogoi also stressed that while the Lok Sabha Secretariat secures the Parliament, it is the government - via Mr Shah, to whose office Delhi Police reports - that was responsible for failing to detect an attack involving people from Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
"Lok Sabha Secretariat is only responsible for security in Parliament. The national security apparatus is responsible... what happens outside (Parliament) in terms of the conspiracy to buy canisters... shoes. It is unfortunate that Amit Shah is blaming the Secretariat to save himself," Mr Gogoi said.
READ | Who Are 78 MPs Suspended Today? Here's The Complete List
The Congress' KV Venugopal told news agency ANI, "The House is functioning with only one purpose... to suppress the voice of the opposition and to suspend maximum people... those who are raising issues of the people and national security. Now, Parliament is for suspension, not discussion."
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who saw nearly a dozen of her MPs suspended, including veteran Sougata Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, and Kalyan Banerjee from the Lok Sabha, said the government had "no moral right to run a House (after) suspending the opposition fully".
"If they think the House is 'supreme' why are they afraid? If they suspend all the members, who will raise the voice of the people? Voices of the people have been choked. They are passing three important bills... they have no moral right to suspend the opposition fully..." she said.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the government - for engineering an "opposition-less Parliament" that means it can now "bulldoze important pending legislations... crush any dissent".
The MPs were suspended for "unruly conduct", the government has said. Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said the opposition lawmakers had conspired to stop Parliament from functioning. "They did not want the House to run," he said.
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