Rajya Sabha cracks down on 8 'unruly' MPs, extends suspension till end of session

Taking stricter action on the 'unruly behaviour' of the 8 Rajya Sabha MPs, the Upper House suspended the MPs for the remainder of the monsoon session. The MPs - Trinamool's Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen, AAP's Sanjay Singh, CPM's KK Ragesh and Elamaram Karim And Congress' Rajiv Satav and Syed Naseer Hussain - were already suspended for a week after they created ruckus in the House during the Farm Bills' debate. The Parliament is likely to be curtailed by mid next week over Coronavirus spread amongst MPs.

MPs suspended for remaining session

Rajya Sabha ruckus: Six videos accessed capturing 'unruly' behaviour of suspended MPs

8 MPs suspended due to unruly behaviour

Earlier in the day, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu suspended the MPs for a week. All 8 MPs squatted outside parliament protesting their suspension, with most Opposition parties like  AAP, Congress, Shiv Sena, Trinamool slamming their suspension. Commenting on their suspension, Vice President Naidu advised, "Throwing papers and rule-book is not the way. I suggest the members introspect".

While opposing the two bills, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O'Brien marched up to the well of the house and attempted to tear the rule book and rip the mic off the house Chair. Similarly, AAP MP Sanjay Singh and Rajeev Satav stormed the well and stood on the table in front of the Chair and raised slogans like 'down with dictatorship', while clapping.  In other videos, Singh is also seen angrily manhandling a marshal by grabbing his neck when he tried to stop his path to the well, before O'Brien stopped Singh's path. The Rajya Sabha TV feed was temporarily cut off amid the chaos.

Sanjay Raut backs suspended Rajya Sabha MPs, affirms support of 'all 90 Opposition MPs'

Opposition calls Farm Bills' passage  - 'murder of democracy'

Meanwhile, Naidu refused to allow a vote of no-confidence against the Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, which was moved by 12 Opposition parties. On Sunday, six Union Ministers had condemned the 'attack' on the Deputy Chair in a press meet, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh calling it 'sad, shameful and unfortunate'. After failing to vote on a no-confidence motion, the 12 Opposition parties are set to meet President Ram Nath Kovind, seeking his dissent against the three farm bills.

Parliament's monsoon session may be curtailed after 32 MPs test positive for COVID-19

While Opposition has called the passage of the bills via voice vote a 'murder of democracy', the BJP has termed the attack on the chair the same. Both bills - Farmers' and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were introduced on Sunday and was passed amid chaos. They were previously passed in Lok Sabha too via voice vote, as Opposition MPs stormed off.

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