"No MP will be stopped from speaking": Kiren Rijiju on deploying CISF in Well of Upper House

New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, justified deploying Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel in the Well of the Rajya Sabha and said that some MPs have physically taken a stand atop the treasury bench.
Replying to Congress on Friday, after party chief Mallikarjun Kharge flagged the Centre's move, Rijiju assured that no MPs will be stopped from speaking in the Parliament.
"It was Parliament members' demand to increase security, therefore CISF was deployed. Inside the house, members have sometimes physically taken a stand atop the treasury table and near the Well. Security has been deployed to stop them from doing this. No MPs will be stopped from speaking," Union Minister Rijiju said.
He added that the CISF personnel would not take any action till an MP indulges in "malicious" activity.
The Union Minister said, "Marshals and security inside the House will not take any action till the time MPs indulge in something malicious. Some MPs went aggressive, and therefore arrangements were made to stop them."
Earlier on Friday, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, wrote to Deputy Chairman of the House, Harivansh, and condemned deploying CISF personnel in the Well of the House while the Opposition was protesting.
Kharge wrote, "We are astonished and shocked at the manner in which CISF personnel are made to run into the Well of the House when the Members are exercising their democratic right of protest"
"This is most objectionable, and we condemn it unequivocally. We expect that in the future, CISF personnel will not come trooping into the well of the House when Members are raising important issues of public concern," the letter read.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari also slammed the Centre and claimed women MPs were stopped by men in the CISF.
"Today is a sad and dark day in Indian democracy. Commandos have been deployed. Some are saying it is CISF, some are saying something else. They forcefully stopped the members from going to the staff. Our women members were stopped. Men stopped them," Tiwari told reporters.
He called it a black day for Indian democracy.
"The way people from outside the House were called and stopped MPs from going to the well forcefully, this is a black day in the history of Indian democracy, and we are registering our objection to this in writing to the Speaker and Deputy Chairman. Everything is captured on camera," the Congress MP said. (ANI)