Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, July 25: Four Congress MPs have been suspended from the Lok Sabha for the duration of the entire session for holding protests with placards within the parliament about price increases.
They had been advised previously by Speaker Om Birla to behave and carry the signs outside the house if they wished to protest.
The suspended MPs include Manickam Tagore, Jothimani, Ramya Haridas, and TN Prathapan.
“If you want to show placards, do it outside the house. I am ready for discussions, but don’t think my kind-heartedness is a weakness,” the Speaker said. Later, he adjourned the proceedings till tomorrow.
However, the opposition MPs came back with the banners when the session reconvened after 3 pm (it had been adjourned 20 minutes into Zero Hour earlier).
Condemning the behaviour of the opposition MPs, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi asked the Speaker to take action against MPs who carried the placards back into the house so that proceedings may go as usual.
“The people of the country want the house to run. But it can’t run like this. I will not allow such a situation to remain in the house,” Birla said.
“If you want to show placards, do it outside the house. I am ready for discussions, but don’t think my kind-heartedness is a weakness,” the Speaker said.
The opposition MPs called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come to parliament and address their worries on growing prices and the increase in the goods and services tax, or GST, on necessities while carrying placards and banners.
Since the start of the monsoon session on July 18, the opposition has been calling for a debate in parliament about price increases and has slowed down business in both houses.
