New Delhi, Aug 4: Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday suspended six TMC MPs for the day for carrying placards while protesting along with other opposition MPs over the Pegasus spying issue.
Such acts have been witnessed since the start of monsoon sessions. The leaders of opposition leaders including of TMC were trooped into the well of the House, some holding placards, to demand a discussion on the issue of Israeli-made, military-grade Pegasus spyware allegedly being used to snoop on opposition leaders, government critics and journalists.
There were placards that had anti-government slogans therefore Naidu adjourned the proceedings of the House till 2 pm. He first asked members to go back to their seats and then threatened to invoke rule 255 against those holding placards.
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As the members refused to budge, he ordered that those "disobeying the chair and raising placards shall leave the House under rule 255." He, however, did not name anyone and said Rajya Sabha Secretariat will give the list.
Later a Parliamentary Bulletin identified the six MPs suspended for the day as Dola Sen, Md. Nadimul Haque, Abir Ranjan Biswas, Shanta Chhetri, Arpita Ghosh and Mausam Noor.
These "members of the Rajya Sabha who entered the well of the Hosue displayed placards, disobeyed the Chair and whose conduct was grossly disorderly in the House this morning (August 4, 2021) have been directed to withdraw immediately from the Council under rule 255 by the Chairman," it said. The six MPs, it said, "shall absent themselves during the remainder of the day's meeting."