Mass suspension of Opposition MPs
The saga of the suspension of Members of Parliament (MPs) began on December 14 when opposition MPs demanded a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue of security breach in Parliament. A total of 146 MPs have been suspended from Parliament so far.
The suspension of opposition MPs from Parliament is ongoing. On the 14th day of the winter session on Thursday, December 21, three more opposition MPs were suspended in the Lok Sabha. This action was taken by Speaker Om Birla due to their unruly behavior. Congress MPs D.K. Suresh, Nakul Nath, and Deepak Baij have been suspended, bringing the total number of suspended MPs to 146, including 112 from the Lok Sabha and 34 from the Rajya Sabha.
The Lok Sabha proceedings have been adjourned indefinitely.
Speaker Om Birla has adjourned the Lok Sabha proceedings indefinitely. The last day of the winter session witnessed the passage of crucial bills related to the appointment of election commissioners. The Lok Sabha’s productivity during the winter session was approximately 74%. Important bills, including the Indian Penal Code, the Citizenship Act, the Indian Evidence Act, and the Telecommunications Act, were passed during this session. Speaker Om Birla expressed gratitude to all MPs for their cooperation during the session.
Congress MPs lead the list with 57 suspensions.
A total of 146 MPs have been suspended, with the majority being from the Congress party. Congress has 60 suspensions (43 from the Lok Sabha and 17 from the Rajya Sabha), followed by 4 from the TDP (3 from the Lok Sabha and 1 from the Rajya Sabha), 21 from the DMK (16 from the Lok Sabha and 5 from the Rajya Sabha), 5 from the CPI(M) (2 from the Lok Sabha and 3 from the Rajya Sabha), 3 from the CPI (1 from the Lok Sabha and 2 from the Rajya Sabha), 14 from the JD(U) (11 from the Lok Sabha and 3 from the Rajya Sabha), 2 from the National Conference (from the Lok Sabha), 21 from the Trinamool Congress (13 from the Lok Sabha and 8 from the Rajya Sabha), 4 from the SP (2 from the Lok Sabha and 2 from the Rajya Sabha), 1 from the BSP (from the Lok Sabha), 2 from the RJD (from the Rajya Sabha), 3 from the Indian Union Muslim League (from the Lok Sabha), 1 from the AAP (from the Lok Sabha), 1 from the Kerala Congress (from the Rajya Sabha), 1 from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (from the Rajya Sabha), 1 from the VCK (from the Lok Sabha), and 1 from the RSP (from the Lok Sabha).
In 1989, 63 MPs were suspended.
According to available data, the first case of suspension came in 1963 when President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan addressed a joint session of Parliament. During this session, some MPs created a ruckus, walked out of the house, and were later suspended. In 1966, two MPs from the Rajya Sabha were suspended for a day due to disruptive behavior. The largest number of suspensions in terms of MPs occurred during the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1989 when 63 MPs were collectively suspended for three days. This happened amidst turmoil over the report of the Thakkar Commission formed to investigate the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
Increased suspensions after 2010.
In 2010, chaos erupted in the Lok Sabha during the Women’s Reservation Bill debate. MPs engaged in protests, tore copies of the bill, waved placards, and even used pepper spray. As a result, seven MPs were suspended from the Rajya Sabha. This incident took place during the budget session in March 2010.
During the budget session in 2012, eight Congress MPs from Telangana were suspended for four days for creating a ruckus. They were protesting in favor of a separate Telangana state. In August 2013, during the monsoon session, 12 MPs were suspended for five days for causing disruptions. Earlier in the same session, nine MPs from Andhra Pradesh were also suspended on the same issue related to the creation of Telangana.
Rapid Increase in MP Suspensions during Modi’s tenure.
In the past nine years, this is not the first time a significant number of MPs have been suspended. Before Modi’s tenure, in 2018, a large number of MPs were also suspended. In January 2019, during the winter session, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan suspended a total of 45 MPs from the Telugu Desam Party and AIADMK for two days. The TDP MPs were demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh, while the AIADMK MPs were protesting against the proposed dam on the Cauvery River.
During the monsoon session of July 2018, six Congress MPs were suspended for five days. They were creating a ruckus, demanding discussions on mob lynching incidents. In the 2020 monsoon session, eight MPs were suspended for the entire session for protesting against three agricultural laws introduced by the central government. After their suspension, these MPs also staged an overnight sit-in protest in front of the Gandhi statue on the Parliament premises.
In the same budget session of 2020, seven Congress MPs were suspended for the entire session. They were accused of snatching papers from the Lok Sabha Speaker’s table. At that time, opposition MPs were protesting against the Delhi riots. The suspension of these MPs was revoked a week later.
During the monsoon session in 2021, there was chaos over the Pegasus spy scandal, farmers’ protests, and the rising prices of petrol and diesel. Due to the disturbances, the functioning of the house was adjourned indefinitely two days before the scheduled time. Even during this period, there was a lot of commotion. Due to the chaos, six MPs from the Trinamool Congress were suspended from the house. Similarly, on the first day of the winter session in 2021, 12 Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended.