7 Congress MPs suspended from Lok Sabha for disrupting proceedings

New Delhi, Mar 05: Seven Congress members have been suspended from remaining period of Budget session for their unruly behaviour in parliament for the last three days over a discussion on last week's violence in Delhi. The motion in this regard passed by voice vote in LS.

The seven MPs are Gaurav Gogoi, TN Prathapan, Dean Kuriakose, R Unnithan, Manickam Tagore, Benny Behnan and Gurjeet Singh Aujla.

Parliament Party Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a resolution asking them to be suspended for the rest of the session.

"Snatching papers from Speaker's table utmost disrespect to Chair, we condemn this. We have requested Speaker to set up panel to look into continuous indiscipline by Congress members," said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary condemned the suspension of the MPs and said, "Is this a dictatorship? It seems the government doesn't want Delhi violence issue to be discussed in Parliament that is why this suspension. We strongly condemn this."

Congress MPs were demanding suspension of Hanuman Beniwal who made an objectionable remark against the Gandhi family that the government should find out if Coronavirus has been spread from Sonia Gandhi's family in Italy. Objecting to that remark, the Congress wanted Beniwal suspended.

The opposition parties, led by Congress demanding a discussion in House on the violence, have been hugely upset over the Speaker's refusal to hold it any time before Holi, arguing that the time for such a discussion is not right.

The Speaker committed to a discussion on March 11, the day after Holi.