Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, TN Prathapan, Jothimani and Ramya Haridas, after a warning by Speaker Om Birla, were suspended from Lok Sabha for the rest of the session for displaying placards and disrupting proceedings
Parliament of India.
Four Congress MPs were suspended from Lok Sabha for the rest of the session for displaying placards and disrupting proceedings.
This after Speaker Om Birla issued a warning to Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, TN Prathapan, Jothimani and Ramya Haridas.
Parliamentary Affair Minister Pralhad Joshi later moved a resolution to suspend the four for the rest of the session.
The House then passed the resolution by a voice vote and Rajendra Agarwal who was chairing the proceedings announced their suspension.
He later adjourned the proceedings for the rest of the day.
Let’s take a look at how and why MPs are suspended and some previous instances:
Members wilfully causing a ruckus or obstructing a business in the Houses of Parliament can be suspended.
Lok Sabha
As per Deccan Chronicle, in the Lok Sabha, the decision rests with the Speaker under Rule 375 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha in case of a grave disorder arising in the House.
Rule 374A states that in case a member comes into the well of the House or refuses to adhere to the rules and wilfully obstructing its business by shouting slogans or otherwise, such a member will be named by the Speaker and “will stand automatically suspended from the service of the House for five consecutive sittings or the remainder of the Session, whichever is less”.
Rajya Sabha
However, in the Rajya Sabha, the Chairman does not have the power to suspend a member.
The Chairman may name a member “name a member who disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the rules of the Council by persistently and wilfully obstructing” the House.
As per Indian Express, Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is empowered under Rule Number 255 of its Rule Book to “direct any Member whose conduct is in his opinion grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately” from the House.
“…Any Member so ordered to withdraw shall do so forthwith and shall absent himself during the remainder of the day’s meeting.”
The Chairman may “name a Member who disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the rules of the Council by persistently and wilfully obstructing” business.
After this, the House may adopt a motion suspending the member from the House for not more than the remainder of the session, as per Deccan Chronicle.
The House may withdraw the suspension through another motion. The rulebook empowers the Chairman to enforce his decisions, as per the report.
Does an MP get paid while on suspension?
Unfortunately, yes.
A Member of Parliament continues to receive his salary even after being suspended for creating disruptions in the House.
Though the ‘no work, no pay’ policy has been under consideration for decades by successive governments at the Centre, it has not been introduced yet.
Meanwhile, session after session of Parliament has seen disruptions from Opposition MPs.
Previous notable suspensions
The suspension of 12 MPs from Rajya Sabha for the entire Winter Session of Parliament in 2021 for their “unruly” conduct in the previous August session remains the biggest such action in the history of the Upper House.
The motion to suspend Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, Ripun Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Nasir Hussain and Akhilesh Prasad Singh of the Congress; Dola Sen, Shanta Chhetri of Trinamool Congress; Priyanka Chaturvedi, Anil Desai of Shiv Sena; Elamaram Kareem of CPM; and Binoy Viswam of CPI was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi.
The second-highest number occurred in the Upper House occurred in 2020 2020 with eight MPs being suspended: Derek O’Brien (TMC), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Rajeev Satav (Congress), K Nagesh (CPI(M)), Syed Nasir Hussain (Congress), Ripun Bora (Congress), Dola Sen (TMC) and Elamaran Kareem of CPI(M).
On 15 March, 1989, when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister, as many as 63 Members were suspended from the Lok Sabha for three days, as per Indian Express.
In 2010, seven MPs were suspended from Rajya Sabha.
Two repeat offenders stand out: Prominent leader and freedom fighter Raj Narayan who was suspended four times from Rajya Sabha while former deputy speaker Godey Murahari who was suspended twice from the Upper House.
With inputs from agencies
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