Opposition protests: Marking strong objection to the suspension of 146 MPs of the Opposition ranks from the Parliament, the I.N.D.I.A bloc leaders will stage protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital today (December 22). Nationwide protests will also be held in all district headquarters against the government’s “immoral and illegal” behaviour. This comes after as many as 146 Opposition MPs were suspended cumulatively from both Houses of the Parliament after they created a ruckus while demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the security breach incident that took place on December 13.
“It’s appropriate to protest and all of us will be at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The INDIA alliance protest will happen everywhere tomorrow (Friday) morning in all the states because we want to show the public that if they’d run Parliament like this and won’t listen to the opposition then they are ruining the democracy,” Shashi Tharoor said yesterday.
The Opposition MPs had marched to Vijay Chowk from Parliament to protest the suspension on Thursday.
Parliament security breach
Congress president and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that it was a matter of breach of privilege of the House that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and HM Amit Shah had spoken outside the Parliament on the security breach issue, while in session, and did not apprise the House over the matter.
Two men had jumped in the Lok Sabha chamber on December 13 and released smoke from canisters. Delhi Police has made several arrests in connection with the cases, including the mastermind of the incident Lalit Jha.
Both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned sine die yesterday. Lok Sabha was adjourned first, following by the Rajya Sabha where the three bills to replace ‘colonial-era’ criminal laws was passed.
The three criminal law bills — The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023, and The Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023 — replacing the IPC, the CrPC and the Evidence Act, were passed with voice vote.
(With PTI inputs)