India: Two more Opposition MPs suspended from Lok Sabha, count reaches 143 members

Two more Opposition MPs were suspended in Lok Sabha over grounds of misconduct on Wednesday (Dec 20), as the suspension of MPs broke all records and led to a massive row.

Till now, a total of 143 Opposition MPs have faced suspension from the two Houses in the last week after they called for a statement from Indian Home Minister Amit Shah over the parliament's security breach which happened last week. In Lok Sabha alone, till now 97 Lok Sabha MPs have beensuspended.

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Kerala Congress (Mani) leader Thomas Chazhikadan and CPI(M) leader A M Ariff were suspended by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after a resolution, which was moved by Indian Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, was adopted by the House.

More than 68 per cent of Opposition MPs are now out of Lok Sabha

The speaker suspended both the MPs for the rest of the session. Among the 142 Opposition MPs present in Lok Sabha, 97 have faced suspension till now - which is more than 68 per cent.

In Rajya Sabha, with less than 100 Opposition MPs left after multiple suspensions, the government will not face any challenge in that House either.

This also means that now the government can get any legislation passed through the House easily in the next two days as the winter session comes to an end. This will be the last full session before the Lok Sabha elections take place next year.

The Opposition MPs are carrying out protests in the two Houses of Parliament after the Lok Sabha was trespassed by two intruders, who had set off coloured smoke in a security breach.

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However, Lok Sabha Speaker Birla has maintained that any security-related incident which takes place inside the House falls under the secretariat's purview and the government cannot intervene.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not given any statement in the House regarding the security breach. However, while speaking to the Indian newspaper Dainik Jagran, the prime minister said that the security breach was a "very serious" incident. He added that an investigation is needed, however, there is "no need for a debate".

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, criticising the suspension spree, said that, "Democracy has been strangulated". She added that the Opposition MPs had only demanded the home minister's statement on the "extraordinary events" of December 13, when the parliament's security breach happened. "There are no words to describe the arrogance with which this request was treated," she said.

(With inputs from agencies)