‘This Is Ridiculous’: Priyanka Gandhi Slams Centre After Suspension of 8 MPs, Says Democracy Demands Right to Speak

New Delhi, February 3: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday lashes out at the Centre following the suspension of eight members of Parliament (MPs), including seven from Congress and one from Communist Party of India (Marxist), labelling the move as being "ridiculous". Speaking outside the Parliament, Gandhi told reporters, "This is ridiculous. In a democracy, every member should have the right to speak, and their concerns should be heard."

Meanwhile, Congress MP Jebi Mather said that the disruption began after Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi made a brief statement regarding the situation in Ladakh by attempting to invoke the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. "Rahul Gandhi stood and only said Ladakh and Ladakh west have been attacked, our soldiers lost their lives. With this one statement, the treasury benches created such a ruckus in parliament. This is a very unfortunate situation where the opposition MPs are not being allowed to speak. Adding on to the dictatorial trend, they have suspended eight MPs. We are not going to backtrack. We will continue with our demands. We will continue to raise our voice," Mather told ANI. 'This Is a Blot on Our Democracy': Rahul Gandhi Writes Letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Alleging Denial of Right to Speak.

Eight opposition members were suspended from the Lok Sabha on Tuesday for the remainder of the budget session for violating rules and "throwing papers on the chair" following uproar in the House over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's insistence on mentioning a specific reference to the 2020 standoff with China in eastern Ladakh. The House, which witnessed two adjournments earlier in the day, resumed proceedings at 3 pm. Rahul Gandhi stated that he would not quote from any magazine article or unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General MM Naravane, but would instead make remarks on Chinese actions during the Kailash Range standoff and the government's response.

The government, however, maintained that Rahul Gandhi could not quote from an unpublished memoir or a magazine article based on it. The Chair directed him to resume his speech on the motion of thanks to the President's Address and adhere to the ruling already given. As Rahul Gandhi continued to press his point, the Chair called upon other members to speak on the motion of thanks. Opposition members resorted to sloganeering, which intensified after a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) member began his speech. Amid the uproar, some members were seen throwing papers, forcing the House to adjourn.

When the House resumed its proceedings, BJP member Dilip Saikia, who was in the Chair, named eight opposition members. What Is This ‘Yaar’?: Lok Sabha Erupts After Rahul Gandhi Rakes Up Ladakh Memoir, Chair Objects to Unparliamentary Remark (Watch Video).

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved a motion to suspend the eight members for the remainder of the budget session for "violating rules and throwing papers on the chair." The motion was adopted by the House amid protests from the opposition members. The suspended MPs include Congress members Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Dean Kuriakose, as well as CPI(M) MP S Venkatesan. The Lok Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments on Monday as well over the stalemate surrounding Rahul Gandhi's attempts to make references to the magazine article.

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)