20 suspended RS MPs begin relay protest in Parliament

New Delhi, July 27: Twenty opposition MPs, who were suspended from the Rajya Sabha for disrupting proceedings, on Wednesday started a 50-hour-long protest inside the Parliament complex.

The MPs are holding the relay protest near the Gandhi Statue and will stay at the site through the night, said TMC MP Dola Sen said, who is one of the suspended parliamentarians.

The 20 MPs, suspended over the last two days, include seven from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), six from the DMK, three from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and one each from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Soon after the House met for Question Hour at 12 noon, Deputy Chairman Harivansh invoked Rule 256 and named Singh for tearing papers and throwing it at the Chair on Tuesday.

The deputy chairman said Singh's action was in utter disregard of rules and the authority of the Chair.

Soon thereafter, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan moved a motion to suspend Singh from the House for the remainder of the week.

The motion was adopted by voice vote, even as opposition members continued to raise uproar in the well of the house.

The deputy chairman asked Singh to leave the House soon after the motion was adopted.

Amid continued sloganeering by opposition members, the deputy chairman adjourned the House briefly for 15 minutes.