india

Updated: Mar 11, 2020 14:51 IST

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is set to revoke the suspension of all seven Congress MPs, who were last week barred from attending the Lower House for the remaining period of the budget session.

Birla had suspended seven Congress MPs - Gaurav Gogoi, TN Prathapan, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Benny Behanan, Rajmohan Unnithan and Adv. Dean Kuriakose - for disrupting the proceedings of the House. They were accused of snatching papers from the Speaker’s table.

“Snatching papers from Speaker’s table utmost disrespect to Chair, we condemn this. We have requested Speaker to set up panel to look into continuous indiscipline by Congress members,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had said after an incident in the House last week.

On Wednesday, Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and other Congress leaders demanded the withdrawal of suspension of its seven MPs. As UPA members came into the well protesting against the suspension, Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) Saugata Roy demanded that suspensions of the MPs should be sorted out.

Chowdhury had earlier condemned the suspension of the MPs and said, “Is this a dictatorship? It seems the government doesn’t want Delhi violence issue to be discussed in Parliament that is why this suspension. We strongly condemn this.”

Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted on Wednesday and later Speaker Om Birla called a meeting of different parties in a bid to restore order and peace in the House.

The suspension of seven MPs was the first such suspension in the 17th Lok Sabha. the Congress dubbed the drastic action as a part of the government’s effort to get business done in the Lok Sabha, which has seen a series of disruptions, and not passed or discussed any legislations after reconvening.