Suspension of MPs new flashpoint between oppn and govt; 20 suspended MPs begin 50-hr relay protest

Instead, they said the government should express regret for not discussing the price rise.Naidu is also learnt to have told the opposition leaders that naming and suspension were the last resort to protect the dignity of the House.

The suspension of 24 opposition MPs became a new flashpoint on Wednesday between the Opposition and the government, which insisted on an apology by the erring members and assurance of not protesting in the House for revocation of their suspension.

The opposition, however, appeared in no mood to relent or regret with 20 suspended RS members commencing a 50-hour sit-in at the Gandhi statue in the Parliament House complex.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge accompanied by senior colleagues from other parties met Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to demand that suspended MPs be brought back.

According to sources, Naidu categorically told the opposition delegation that erring MPs ''must realize the gravity of their misconduct and regret the same'' for him to consider any leniency.

The presiding officer of Rajya Sabha also made it clear that regret by suspended MPs was a must for the revocation of their suspension. However, none of the leaders acquiesced. Instead, they said the government should express regret for not discussing the price rise.

Naidu is also learnt to have told the opposition leaders that naming and suspension were the last resort to protect the dignity of the House. He said 63 members of Lok Sabha were similarly suspended in 1989 and another 25 in 2015 for persistent violation of the rules of the house and disruptions, sources said.

Also on Wednesday, disruptions continued in the both Houses of Parliament as opposition parties protested against the suspension of 24 members, besides persisting with their demand to debate price rise and GST hike.

AAP’s Sanjay Singh was suspended on Wednesday for the remaining part of the week for his ''unruly behaviour'' in the House. This came a day after he tore some papers and threw them on the Chair during the Opposition's protest in the Upper House.

In Lok Sabha, members of the NCP, TMC and DMK asked the chair to revoke the suspension of four Congress MPs, to which Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the suspended members must express regret for the government to bring a motion to revoke the action.

While four Congress members - Manickam Tagore, TN Prathapan, Ramya Haridas and Jothimani, were suspended from Lok Sabha on Monday for the remainder of the session, 20 opposition members --seven from the TMC, six from the DMK, three from TRS, two from CPI-M and one from CPI were suspended on Tuesday. ''Can you guarantee the Congress members will not storm the well or show placards in the House?,'' Joshi asked after NCP's Supriya Sule, DMK’s A Raja and other parties sought that the suspended members be brought back.

''If they (opposition members) want, we are ready to take it (suspension) back, but will they take a guarantee that they will not come into the well, will not come into the Well with placards and will not place the placards before the face of the speaker,'' he said.

''They (opposition members) come here to stand before the Prime Minister and not only that, they try to show placards in the face of the Speaker,'' Joshi added.

Kharge has also written to Naidu, raising concern over the ''unlawful'' suspension of opposition MPs. ''The opposition is the real voice of the citizens of India and the Modi government cannot be allowed to run these undemocratic one-way proceedings by suppressing people's voice,'' Kharge said. The discussion on the issue of price rise is also learnt to have figured in the meeting with Naidu in the morning. Sources said the price rise debate could be scheduled early next week, with the government expressing instant readiness to debate the topic. PTI SKC ASK ASG PK JTR