Tensions have been escalating between the Opposition and the government as three more MPs were suspended from the Lower House for the remainder of the Winter Session on December 21 for displaying placards in the House. This comes in addition to the two memberrs suspended on Dec. 20, 49 members suspended from the Lok Sabha on December 19,78 members of Parliament suspended on December 18, as well as the 14 MPs suspended on December 14.
The total suspension count, of both Houses combined in the ongoing Winter session, has reached 146, a figure unprecedented in the history of the Indian Parliament. The tally also includes senior members such as Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Supriya Sule, Farooq Abdullah, Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor.
In both the Houses, Opposition MPs were protesting last week’s security breach in Parliament, demanding a statement from the Home Minister Amit Shah and a detailed discussion on the breach. BJP leaders were incensed that the protestors carried placards showing pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The below chart shows the list of suspended MPs and the parties they belong to.
After the suspension, only 42 MPs belonging to the INDIA bloc parties, which are opposing the BJP on a common platform, still remain in the Lok Sabha.
The strength of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha after the latest round of suspensions on December 20, 2023.
In the Rajya Sabha, almost a third of the entire Opposition strength has been depleted.
The strength of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha after the round of suspensions on December 18, 2023.
