Opposition figures voiced strong criticism on Monday during the ongoing Winter Session, condemning the suspension of 78 Members of Parliament. The Congress party described the move as a "murder of democracy," particularly in response to the suspension of 45 MPs from the Rajya Sabha. This action came in the wake of their demands for a statement from the Home Minister regarding the December 13th security breach and the insistence on allowing the Leader of the Opposition to speak.
Jairam Ramesh, a prominent Congress leader, expressed his concern, stating, “Not only in the Lok Sabha, today was a bloodbath in the Rajya Sabha with 45 INDIA party MPs getting suspended for demanding a statement by the Home Minister on the December 13th security breach, and for demanding that the Leader of the Opposition be allowed to speak. Incidentally, I too figure in this Roll of Honour — for the first time in my parliamentary career of 19 years. This is Murder of Democracy in India(MODI) at work!"
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the potential consequences of an Opposition-less Parliament. He stated, “With an Opposition-less Parliament, the Modi Govt can now bulldoze important pending legislations, crush any dissent, without any debate. All Democratic norms are being thrown into the dustbin by an autocratic Modi Govt by suspending 47 MPs.”
Kharge further criticized the government's accountability, noting, “PM can give an interview to a newspaper; the Home Minister can give interviews to TV channels. But, they have zero accountability left to the Parliament which represents the People of India.”
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a Congress leader in the Lok Sabha who was also suspended, emphasized the importance of the opposition's role in running the House. He expressed concern about the government's approach, stating, “It is important to take the opposition along while running the House… but today’s government has reached the extreme level of dictatorship. They are wielding the stick of ‘bahubalis’ (musclemen). They have suspended everybody.”
The suspension of three Congress MPs – K Jayakumar, Vijay Vasanth, and Abdul Khaleque – drew attention, as they were suspended for climbing onto the Speaker’s podium and shouting slogans. Their case has been referred to the Privileges Committee, and the duration of their suspension will be determined later.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the situation, describing it as a "mockery of democracy." She highlighted the imbalance in treatment, stating, “Opposition leaders are suspended when they put forth their views, but it’s all good for BJP members, speaking about Mahua Moitra’s expulsion from the Parliament.”
A voice note from 45 MPs in the Rajya Sabha revealed that they were suspended for the rest of the Winter Session in Parliament. Simultaneously, 33 opposition members, including Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, T R Baalu, Dayanidhi Maran, and Saugata Roy, were suspended from the Lok Sabha for disrupting proceedings.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi expressed her dissatisfaction with the perceived dictatorship, stating, “Such dictatorship would not work, the country would not accept it.” She emphasized the lack of response from the Prime Minister and the Home Minister on the matter.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi highlighted the government's approach amid a stalemate over the Parliament security breach incident, stating, “They are bulldozing the opposition and crushing the moral rights of people in the House. It makes evident that they don’t have the intention to run the House.”