The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now finds itself without opposition in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, following the suspension of 141 Members of Parliament (MPs) due to unruly behavior. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is among the suspended MPs, expressed concern over what he termed as a move toward establishing a ‘single-party rule.’
Kharge took to Twitter on Wednesday, stating, “This kind of ‘single party rule’ is what the BJP and the prime minister want to establish. They talk of Ek Akela which is akin to demolishing democracy. This is precisely what they have done by suspending Opposition MPs.”
Kharge criticized the BJP for not holding higher-ranking individuals accountable for the security lapse that allowed intruders into Parliament on December 13, the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack. He questioned the lack of action against BJP MP Ptarap Simha, who allegedly facilitated the entry of the intruders.
The security breach involved two individuals jumping inside the Lok Sabha and releasing yellow smoke from concealed canisters. The opposition leaders demanded a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the incident. In response to the demand, 141 MPs from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were suspended.
Kharge raised concerns about the failure of intelligence and questioned how the intruders, who allegedly planned the act for months, managed to evade the multi-layered security of the Parliament. He called for accountability for senior officers responsible for parliamentary security.
Following the mass suspension, the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a circular barring the suspended MPs from entering the Parliament chamber, lobby, and galleries. The circular outlined various consequences, including the inability to participate in parliamentary committee sittings and restrictions on listing business in their names.
The suspended MPs had been protesting inside the Parliament complex prior to the circular’s issuance, with a new controversy arising as Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee mimicked Rajya Sabha member Jagdeep Dhankhar during the protest. The suspension has heightened tensions and raised questions about the balance of power and accountability within the parliamentary system.
