Parliament monsoon session: Rajya Sabha suspends 19 Opposition MPs for 'misconduct'

New Delhi [India], July 26 (ANI): A day after four Congress MPs were suspended from Lok Sabha for 'disrupting proceedings and unruly behaviour', 19 Opposition MPs including TMC leaders Sushmita Dev, Santanu Sen, and Dola Sen were suspended from Rajya Sabha on Tuesday for the remaining part of the week for 'misconduct'.
They were suspended for storming well of the House and sloganeering against the government over inflation. Following the incident, Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day to meet at 11am tomorrow.
A total of seven MPs were suspended from the TMC.
The other leaders who were suspended include Mausam Noor (AITC), Shanta Chhetri (AITC), Abhi Ranjan Biswar (AITC), Md Nadimul Hague (AITC), M. Hamamed Abdulla (DMK), B Lingaiah Yadav (TRS), AA Rahim (CPI), Ravihandra Vaddiraju (TRS), S Kalyanasundaram (DMK), R Girranjan (DMK).
N.R. Elango (DMK), V. Sivadasan (CPI), M. Shanmugam (DMK), Damodar Rao Divakonda (TRS), Sandosh Kumar P (CPI), Kanimozhi NVN Somu (DMK) were among the other leaders who were suspended from Rajya Sabha.
Speaking to ANI, Derek O'Brien, TMC Rajya Sabha MP said that democracy has been suspended with the suspension of the MPs.
"PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have suspended democracy...what are you talking about MPs?" he said.
Earlier today, both Houses of Parliament - Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm on Tuesday amid continuous sloganeering by Opposition members, on the seventh day of the Monsoon session.
Earlier Rajya Sabha was also adjourned twice during the day. The Upper House was adjourned till 12.20 pm amid ruckus by Opposition MPs. Earlier it was adjourned till 12 noon soon after the Opposition parties raised issues including over a dozen deaths in Gujarat's Botad district due to consumption of illicit or toxic liquor.
Earlier on Monday, four Congress MPs including Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, Jothimani and TN Prathapan were suspended from the Lok Sabha for the entire Monsoon session for their 'unruly behaviour and disrupting proceedings.'
The MPs were suspended according to Rule 374 on 'unruly and disrespectful behaviour towards the Chair.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with several party leaders were detained by Delhi Police at Vijay Chowk during MPs' march to Rashtrapati Bhavan to protest against the questioning of the party's interim president Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the National Herald case.
"All (Congress) MPs came here. They talked about inflation and unemployment. They (Police) are not allowing us to sit here. Discussions are not allowed inside (the Parliament) and here they are arresting us," said Rahul Gandhi before being detained.
Several MPs of the party were detained by the police following their protest march from Parliament.
All Congress MPs were stopped at Vijay Chowk and prevented from marching to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
"We're protesting as per the instruction of the police. All of this is a conspiracy by PM Modi & Amit Shah to completely destroy the Opposition and muzzle our voices. We won't be scared, our fight will continue," Congress leader and LoP Mallikarjun Kharge said.
"We had demanded that there be discussion in Parliament on inflation, unemployment, Agnipath & misuse of agencies. Govt rejected it. We said we'll protest at Rajghat on this, but weren't permitted. We said that we'll give a memorandum to President. They didn't permit," Deepender Hooda said. (ANI)