In a rare action, the Rajya Sabha unanimously suspended seven MPs for their unruly behaviour in the House on Monday, even as both Houses witnessed frequent adjournments on Tuesday as members opposed to the Women's Reservation Bill continued to disrupt proceedings.
Upper house members, who heckled Vice-President and Chairman Hamid Ansari on Monday and tore up the Bill copy, were suspended till the end of the budget session on May 7. They were evicted by marshals before the commencement of the debate on the 108{+t}{+h} Constitution Amendment Bill that provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and legislative assemblies.
The suspended members are: Subhash Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Kamal Akhtar, Veerpal Singh Yadav, Nand Kishore Yadav, and Amir Alam Khan (all Samajwadi Party), Sabir Ali (Lok Jan Shakti Party) and Ejaz Ali (suspended member of the Janata Dal-United). They cannot enter the chamber, inner lobby and Rajya Sabha gallery during their period of suspension.
The motion, moved under Rule 256 by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prithviraj Chavan, was adopted by voice vote.
The action was taken for showing total “disregard for dignity of Council and authority of the Chair'' by obstructing the business of the House. The last time a member was suspended for unruly behaviour was in 1987; and the previous eviction was in 1974.
After the suspension, Mr. Ansari adjourned the House till 2 p.m. for the second time in the day. The suspended members, however, did not leave the House and continued to squat in the well till they were evicted when the debate began after lunch-break.
Proceedings in the Lok Sabha too were disrupted by members of SP, RJD and JD(U) who moved into the well, forcing three adjournments till 2 p.m. Taking exception to the manner in which the members were suspended for the entire budget session, their leaders charged that the action amounted to muzzling the voice of elected representatives much as in the days of the Emergency.
Raising the matter in the post-lunch session, RJD chief Lalu Prasad demanded that the government make its intentions clear. RJD, SP, and JD (U) members trooped into the well and got further agitated when the Bill was taken up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha. Mr. Prasad said this was a tactic to divert attention from the issue of price rise.
The lower house was adjourned for the day after Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee went through the motions of seeking approval of the House for the demands for grants on account for the Railways, supplementary demands for 2009-10, demands for excess grants and the Appropriation Bill, 2010.
The question hour could not be taken up in both the houses.
In the Rajya Sabha SP members disrupted proceedings in the morning seeking implementation of the Ranganath Misra Commission report on welfare of the minorities.
