14 Opposition MPs Remain Suspended; O'Brien Accuses Govt of Hypocrisy Over Bidhuri & Singh
Rajya Sabha members face extended suspension, questioning government's standards for misconduct.
As 14 opposition MPs are still suspended from the legislature, Trinamul Congress MP Derek O'Brien suggested on Tuesday that the government might want opposition members to act like BJP lawmakers Ramesh Bidhuri and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who are both accused of misconduct.
During the recent winter session of Parliament, opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, numbering one hundred and forty-six respectively, were suspended for staging protests in both Houses demanding a meeting and statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the security breach that occurred on December 13.
Taking a swipe at the government, O'Brien—one of the suspended MPs—mentioned Bidhuri, who was accused of using a communal slur in the Lok Sabha, and Singh, who is being accused of sexual harassment by six female wrestlers, in a post on X.
An investigation into Bidhuri's accusation is underway by a privileges committee.
"The Lok Sabha is still graced by two exemplary members of Parliament, Ramesh Bidhuri and Brij Bhushan Singh. As the leader of the Trinamool Congress in the Rajya Sabha, O'Brien wrote in the post, "Perhaps the Modi government wants all of us in the Opposition to behave like them to avoid suspension from Parliament."
Although the majority of Opposition Members of Parliament were suspended for the Winter session and had their suspensions lifted when the House was prorogued on December 29, 14 members—11 from the Rajya Sabha and 3 from the Lok Sabha—remain suspended until a privileges committee report is received.
Three MPs—K Jayakumar, Abdul Khaleque, and Vijay Kumar—remain suspended from the Lok Sabha.
The Rajya Sabha members who are still serving their suspensions are: Mohamad Abdulla, John Brittas, AA Rahim, Kumar Ketkar, GC Chandrasekhar, Kumar Mather, L Hanumanthaiah, Neeraj Dangi, Rajmani Patel, and Binoy Viswam.
The suspension makes it unclear whether these MPs will take part in the next Budget session.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
