BJP Parliamentary Party Meeting, chaired by PM Modi, underway
Dec 19, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 19 : The BJP's Parliamentary Party meeting got underway on Tuesday with the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The BJP's Parliamentary Party, which includes all its Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members, usually meets every week during sessions. However, the meeting on Tuesday assumes special significance as the partners in the Opposition bloc -- INDIA -- are also set to go into a huddle in the national capital later in the day.
The meeting also comes a day after 78 opposition MPs, on Monday, were suspended for the remainder of the ongoing 'Winter Session', for raising a ruckus and disrupting proceedings in both Houses to push for their demand for a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Parliament security breach incident.
The suspensions, combined with the 13 members removed earlier, were the largest in the history of Indian Parliament.
Meanwhile, floor leaders of the INDIA bloc are also set to convene a meeting at 10 am in the chamber of the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge.
Apart from the PM, senior BJP leaders, who arrived for the Parliamentary Party meeting, included the party's national president JP Nadda and Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
A total of 78 MPs -- 33 from Lok Sabha and 45 from Rajya Sabha -- were suspended on Monday, following a ruckus over the demand by the Opposition for a statement from Union Minister Amit Shah on the Parliament security breach incident, taking the total number of lawmakers suspended for the remainder of the ongoing Winter Session to 92.
While 34 opposition Rajya Sabha MPs, including Congress' Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala were suspended for the remainder of the 'Winter Session', the 'misconduct' of 11 others was also referred to the Privileges Committee, which has been asked to give its report in three months.
The members will remain suspended till a report is submitted by the panel.
The reason for the suspension of opposition MPs for the rest of the Winter Session was cited to be 'misconduct' and failure to adhere to the directions of the Chair.
According to sources, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance MPs, who were not suspended, are likely to 'boycott' their respective Houses.
Following the suspensions on Monday, opposition MPs lashed out at the BJP-led Centre, terming it 'autocratic'.
Kharge said "democratic norms are being thrown into the dustbin by an autocratic Modi government by suspending 47 MPs".
"With an Opposition-Less Parliament, the Modi government can now bulldoze important pending legislations, crush any dissent, without any debate," the Congress national president posted on X.
He added that the Opposition's demands include a statement from Shah on the security breach and a discussion in both Houses.
