New Delhi, March 16 – Eight suspended opposition MPs are likely to receive relief with a proposal to lift the ban on them expected to be presented in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, according to a political source aware of the decisions taken at a meeting of all political parties chaired by Speaker Om Birla.
According to sources, the suspension will be lifted on the condition that the MPs, including seven from the Congress and one from the CPI(M), maintain decorum and avoid disruptive behavior in the House.
The eight MPs are Manickam Tagore, Amrinder Singh Raja, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, Dean Kuriakose, Prashant Padole, and Kiran Kumar Reddy of the Congress, and S Venkatesan from CPI (M).
The all-party meeting convened by Birla on Monday discussed issues aimed at ensuring smooth parliamentary proceedings, with a specific agreement on not displaying AI-generated images and placards in the House.
On February 3, eight opposition MPs were suspended for the remainder of the Budget Session. This move drew criticism from the opposition, which said that the measure amounted to penalizing members for exercising their democratic rights.
The eight MPs were suspended while they were protesting over various issues, including the India-China relationship and the India-US trade deal. The presiding officer also raised an objection to the unruly behavior of the MPs for throwing paper towards the chair.
Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved a resolution seeking their suspension from the remaining part of the Budget Session for their unruly behavior and misconduct in the Lok Sabha. The House approved the resolution by voice vote.
On Monday, the issue of the eight MPs' suspension was raised in the House by Congress MP and party general secretary K.C. Venugopal.
"At least some decision should be taken," said the Congress MP.
Venugopal raised the issue soon after Question Hour. "On Friday, we had raised the same. Our eight members were suspended, and they are sitting outside," he said.
Expressing concern over the action against the eight opposition MPs, Venugopal said, "This House has witnessed so many agitations, not just on one day."
In a message on social media, Venugopal said, "Parliament has seen countless protests, but the suspension of MPs is a disturbing new trend, which cannot be allowed to continue. This suspension should be revoked immediately."
