Will Consider Revoking Suspension of MPs If They Apologise: Centre

Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

(Photo: PTI)

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday, 22 September, said that the Centre will consider revoking the suspension of eight Rajya Sabha members only after they apologise for their “behaviour” in the Upper House.

"We will consider withdrawal of suspension only after suspended members apologise for their behaviour in Rajya Sabha," Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters outside Parliament, reported PTI.

“We expected the Congress would oppose such unruly behaviour by Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha,” he added.

Eight RS MPs End Dharna

Meanwhile, eight suspended members of the Rajya Sabha ended their day-long protest after a request from opposition leaders who also urged them to join in the boycott of the ongoing Monsoon Session.

The agitating MPs said that it was not about revocation of their suspension but withdrawal of the "draconian" farm Bills.

“We have ended our protest but will join in the boycott of the session,” Syed Nasser Hussain, one of the suspended Congress MPs, said. His party colleague Rajeev Satav, who too was suspended, said that their protests will move from Parliament to the streets.

The opposition has jointly decided to boycott the session till their three demands on the new agri Bills are met by the Union government.

"No one is happy with the incidents that have taken place in the Upper House. The public wants that their leaders should be heard. No one can put across their views in just a few minutes. There will be de-escalation if MPs are not constrained by time to speak," added Azad, who is Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

While Azad said that the root cause of the dispute is "lack of coordination and time constraint", Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said that he had apologised for conduct of the members, and hence the suspension of lawmakers must be revoked.

(With inputs from PTI, IANS)