Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest against the suspension notice issued against 12 MPs.
(Photo: Videograb)
Opposition leaders declined to meet the central government to discuss the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs, Union Minister Piyush Goyal indicated on Monday, 20 December.
"The 12 suspended Rajya Sabha MPs should realise their mistake and talk to the Chair... The Opposition does not want Parliament to run. Causing disturbance and disruption is their mantra," Goyal stated, news agency ANI reported.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had called for a meeting of leaders of the four political parties – Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Shiv Sena, and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) – whose Rajya Sabha MPs have been suspended, on Monday in the Parliament Library Building, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said on Sunday.
Following this, leaders of Opposition parties held a meeting on Monday to deliberate over attending the meeting called by the Centre.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said,
On 29 November, six Congress MPs, two lawmakers each from TMC and Shiv Sena and one each of CPI(M) and CPI were suspended for the entire winter session. CPI’s Binoy Viswom, who is the only member from his party in the upper house, was not invited to the meeting as he is among the suspended MPs.
Responding to the invite by Joshi, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge reiterated that Opposition parties are united in protest against the suspension of the 12 MPs.
He added:
He has urged floor leaders from all 'like-minded' parties to meet in the parliament.
Earlier, Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien had tweeted:
Twelve Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended for the remaining session of the Parliament on 29 November, after allegedly creating ruckus in the House.
The 12 MPs include Elamaram Kareem (CPI-M), Congress MPs Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, R Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Nasir Hussain, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Binoy Viswam (CPI), TMC MPs Dola Sen and Shanta Chhetri, and Shiv Sena MPs Priyanka Chaturvedi and Anil Desai.
However, the government will consider revoking the suspension if the MPs apologise, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has said.
The winter session, so far, has been a stormy one and has witnessed protests by the Opposition over issues such as the farmers' agitation, the recent civilian killings in Nagaland by the armed forces, and the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs for their protests during the monsoon session.
(With inputs from news agency ANI.)
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