Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury writes to LS Speaker Om Birla; urges to revoke suspension of 13 MPs

New Delhi [India], December 17 : Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urging him to consider revoking the suspension of 13 MPs, who were suspended from the Parliament on Thursday "for creating a ruckus" in the House over their demand for a statement on the breach.
"Considering the fact that the Members who have been suspended on account of "unruly conduct" were pressing for an explanation from the Government on very troubling issues, to me, it appears to be appropriate to hear them on their concerns and points of view. Considering the factors that led to the suspension of 13 members in the recent days, I would urge that the matter be re-looked into holistically and appropriate action taken to revoke the suspension and restore order in the House", said Chpwdhary in his letter to Speaker Birla.
"You will appreciate the fact that the incident of 13th December, 2023 is a world apart from the "attack on Parliament House" of 13th December, 2001, which was an act carried out by hard core, well trained and heavily armed terrorists from across the Border - with the attack resulting in the death of Armed personnel of the CRPF, Delhi Police as also of the CPWD and the Parliament Security Service. Pictures, including media records of the two incidents make the difference in the two incidents very evident- be it in terms of the type of people involved, scale, intent, purpose behind the acts etc., Yet, the recent incident of 13th December, 2023, has also brought to the fore issues relating to the security of the Institutions which are the core of our democratic practises and ethos", the letter read.
Reiterating the demand of the opposition MPs for a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the security lapse incident, the Congress leader said, " It may be recalled that when the dastardly incident of 13th December, 2001 happened, it was Smt. Sonia Gandhi, then President of Indian National Congress who was the first to call on the then Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Home Minister Shri Lal Krishna Advani to enquire about their well-being. In the present instance too, it is but appropriate for the Home Minister to make a statement in the House on the incident."
"In the case of the recent incident of 13th December, 2023 the personnel of the Parliament Security Service, though unarmed and whose main duties pertain to regulating entry, movement, meet requirements of protocol etc., geared up to the situation very appreciably and contributed significantly in ensuring maintenance of order in the precincts of Parliament Estate. More notable is the fact that the members reacted to the situation with promptitude and helped in over powering the two persons involved in the incident", the letter read.
"An added issue that perhaps also needs to be addressed is the "protocols "and "procedures" for issuing and regulating entry of Visitors to witness the proceedings of the House. The prevailing procedures could be reviewed with a view to avoiding a repeat of the breach of security witnessed in the recent days", it added.
Earlier on Saturday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had written a letter to all the MPs clarifying that there is no association between the suspension of the MPs and the security breach incident.
"This is unwarranted. There is no association between the suspension of honourable members and the incident which took place on December 13, 2023. The suspension of honourable members is purely to uphold the sanctity of the house", the letter read.
"We are well aware that the people of our country do not appreciate the inappropriate conduct and interruptions during the proceedings of the House. That is the reason we are unanimous that we would establish highest standards of parliamentary decorum and dignity," Om Birla said, adding that he was "compelled to take strict action of suspending members".
The Lok Sabha Speaker also stated that a high-level committee has been constituted to inquire into the security lapse incident.
"A high-level committee has been constituted for an in-depth investigation of the incident that took place inside the House. The committee has started working. The report of this committee will soon be shared with the House, read the letter.
"In addition, I have also constituted a high-powered committee which will review various aspects of security in the parliament complex and formulate a concrete action plan to ensure such incidents do not occur," it added.
A total of 13 MPs were suspended from Parliament on Thursday "for creating a ruckus" in the House over their demand for a statement on the breach.
Among the 13 MPs suspended from the Lok Sabha, nine are from the Congress, two from the CPM, one from the CPI, and one from the DMK.
On December 13, two men jumped inside the Lok Sabha from the visitor's gallery above the chamber and threw smoke cannisters inside the Parliament, triggering panic on the day India marked the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack.
The security breach happened on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack. Two people--Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D--jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted anti-establishment slogans before being overpowered by the MPs.
Outside it, in another incident, two protestors -- Neelam (42) and Amol (25) -- protested outside the Parliament with similar gas canisters. However, all four were sent to seven-day custody of Delhi Police Special Cell on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the opposition MPs of the INDIA bloc have been demanding a word from Home Minister Amit Shah over the security lapse incident.
Earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge reiterated the demand for a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah in the House.
Hitting out at the BJP-led central government over the massive security breach, the Congress President said that the BJP leaders are not ready to let the House function.
"It is a serious issue and the government should pay attention to it. We are repeatedly saying in Parliament that the Union Home Minister should come to the House and give a statement but he does not want to come. They (BJP) are not ready to let the House function. This is not a good thing for democracy but there is no point in talking to people who do not believe in democracy," Kharge told ANI.