LS-SUSPENSION

AIADMK leader and Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai on Friday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to revoke the suspension of members, who had faced action for repeatedly disrupting the House. Thambidurai made the demand during the Zero Hour, to which the Speaker replied that the situation had become "unbearable" and asked as to who will give an assurance that the suspended members will not again enter the Well of the House.

Proceedings in Lok Sabha during the winter session that commenced on December 11 were repeatedly stalled due to protests by AIADMK and TDP members over a proposed dam on river Cauvery and special state status to Andhra Pradesh respectively. Mahajan had suspended 24 AIADMK members on Wednesday for five consecutive sittings. On Thursday, she suspended 21 members of AIADMK, TDP and an unattached YSR Congress member. The action was taken under rule 374A of Lok Sabha which says that they cannot attend the remaining days of the session, which concludes on January 8. "Madam you have the right to take the action, I am not objecting to that. I know any violation cannot be tolerated.

"At the same time, members are also agitated about their issues. My request is to pardon them. As only two days of this session are left," Thambidurai said Friday. He agreed that the members should not enter the Well of the House. "You have already punished them, so I now humbly request as a custodian of this house, please pardon them. Allow them to participate from Monday in the proceedings of this house. At the same time they should not enter the well of the house. Please revoke suspension," Thambidurai said. Responding to the Deputy Speaker's demand, the Speaker said the behaviour of suspended members was sending a very bad message to the public.

"Who will give the assurance that they will not enter the Well of the house. This is sending a very bad message about MPs who represent lakhs of people. We should discuss this in our chamber. All leaders should come together and discuss this issue," she said. The Speaker described some of the scenes witnessed in the house as "ugly" and said "unbearable things were happening in the house". Action against such a large number of MPs is unusual. In February, 2014, the then Speaker Meira Kumar had suspended 18 MPs from Andhra Pradesh following bedlam in the House.

Those suspended then were either supporting or opposing creation of Telangana. While AIADMK has 37 members, the TDP has 15 in the lower house.

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