Congress MPs Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi with suspended Opposition MPs during a protest at Mahatma Gandhi statue during the Winter session of Parliament in New Delhi.
During the ongoing winter session of Parliament, a record 100 Lok Sabha MPs and 46 Rajya Sabha MPs have been suspended, marking the highest number of suspensions in a single session in Parliament’s history. This unprecedented figure follows demands from the Opposition for a statement from the Home Minister regarding a security breach within Parliament. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the government, claiming it is undermining both Parliament and democracy.
The previous record for suspensions in the Lok Sabha was 63, which occurred on March 15, 1989, during the Eighth Lok Sabha when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister. According to archives from The Hindu, the entire Opposition was suspended as they sought discussions about the Thakkar Commission report on Indira Gandhi’s assassination. That evening, Janata Dal leader V.P. Singh publicly condemned the government’s “brazen” actions.
Among the suspended MPs, twenty-nine were from Tamil Nadu, the highest from any state, leaving just 10 MPs to represent the state in the Lok Sabha for the session. Eighteen MPs from Kerala were suspended, allowing only two MPs to remain, while 14 from West Bengal were suspended, leaving 27 MPs in the chamber. Additionally, the only MP from Puducherry was also suspended, resulting in no representation for the Union Territory, a situation mirrored in Lakshadweep.
The Congress party faced the brunt of the suspensions, with 41 MPs suspended, significantly reducing its representation in the Lok Sabha to just seven. Sixteen MPs from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and 13 from the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) were suspended, reducing their numbers to eight and nine, respectively. All three MPs from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) were also suspended, leaving other smaller parties like the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Kerala Congress (M) (KC(M)) without representation in the Lok Sabha since their lone MPs were suspended.
In the Rajya Sabha, eight MPs from West Bengal were suspended, the highest from any state, and seven from Kerala and five from Tamil Nadu were also suspended. Here, eighteen Congress MPs were suspended, the largest number among the parties, which now only has 12 MPs left in the Rajya Sabha. Additionally, eight MPs from the AITC and five from the DMK faced suspension, and both MPs from the Communist Party of India (CPI) were also suspended, leaving these parties without representation.
These figures are based on the list of sitting MPs available on the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha websites as of Tuesday. Historical comparisons show that under UPA-I and II, 50 MPs were suspended, while 194 MPs were suspended during NDA-I and II.
Two charts have been included that detail session-wise suspensions in each term of the last four Lok Sabhas (UPA-I, UPA-II, NDA-I, and NDA-II) and illustrate the session-wise number of members suspended, highlighting the UPA terms as well.
Published – December 21, 2023 12:57 pm IST
