"They themselves said to suspend them": Pralhad Joshi hits out at opposition over suspension of MPs
Dec 22, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 22 : A day after the Parliament's Winter Session was adjourned sine die, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday launched a scathing attack on the opposition leaders over the suspension of MPs from both the Houses of Parliament and said that they themselves said to suspend them.
While addressing a press briefing in the national capital, Joshi said that a total of 19 bills including Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 were passed in the Parliament on Thursday.
While these bills were passed in the Parliament, 146 MPs were suspended over the ruckus created for demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Parliament security breach.
"Under the leadership of PM Modi, the three bills- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 were passed in Parliament yesterday. A total of 19 bills were passed in Parliament in the winter session," the Union Minister said.
Hitting out at the opposition over the suspension of MPs, Joshi said, "They themselves came and said to suspend them. Congress Party has such a low-level strategy."
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal who was also present at the press briefing lashed out at the Opposition over the suspension of MPs and said that they were deliberately looking for revenge after the defeat in the assembly elections.
"The Speaker is the custodian of the Parliament. The Lok Sabha Speaker is saying repeatedly that he is responsible for the security. Why are they not trusting what the Speaker is saying? They were deliberately looking for revenge after the defeat in the assembly elections. They had been planning internally and they got the opportunity," Meghwal said.
He further said that a committee has been formed to investigate the security breach incident in the Parliament.
"Security breach in the Parliament is a big issue. A committee has been formed and an investigation is underway. The Vice President was insulted. Congress believes that it is only their right to govern. They think that the Vice President should be the one nominated by them. They cannot stand PM Modi, President of India Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. It is their mentality to insult the Dalit, farmers and the backward classes," Meghwal said.
Parliament's Winter Session was adjourned sine die, a day ahead of schedule ending three frenetic weeks that saw a security breach in Lok Sabha, suspension of 146 MPs, the expulsion of Trinamool Congress member Mahua Moitra in the "bribe-for-query" case and passage of three criminal bills -- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita Bill, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita Bill and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill -- replacing the colonial laws namely the IPC, the CrPC and the Evidence Act.
The Winter session began on December 4 and was scheduled to conclude on December 22.
The session, which began on December 4, saw both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha running largely peacefully for the first week but the scenario changed after December 13 when TMC MP Mahua Moitra who was facing cash for query allegations, was expelled from the Lok Sabha after the Parliament adopted the report of its Ethics Committee, which was probing the matter. The motion moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi was passed by a voice vote after a heated debate between the opposition and Treasury benches.
Notably, the expelled MP was not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha during the debate as Speaker Om Birla cited past rulings --of his predecessor Somnath Chatterjee's-- in the 2005 cash-for-query matter when the House expelled 11 MPs for accepting bribes to questions.
Meanwhile, on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, two people jumped into the chamber of the Lower House of Parliament from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs.
100 MPs were suspended from Lok Sabha, and another 46 from Rajya Sabha for unruly behaviour, disrupting proceedings by showing placards and raising slogans over the breach issue.
