LIVE: 8 suspended MPs end 'dharna', join session's boycott

15:38 September 22

Farm Bills: Youth Cong members detained during protest march towards Parliament

Some youth Congress members were detained by the police on Tuesday when they were trying to march towards the Parliament building in protest against the recently passed farm Bills.  

Speaking during the protest march, Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV said these Bills will make farmers dependent on corporate houses and were also against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's idea of an Atmnirbhar Bharat' (a self-reliant India).

13:52 September 22

Pawar to fast for a day in solidarity with 8 suspended MPs

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said he is observing a day-long fast on Tuesday to protest the suspension of eight Rajya Sabha members of the Upper House.

The MPs were suspended for the remaining part of the current session over their "misbehavior" with the House deputy chairman during the passage of the farm Bills on Sunday.

13:14 September 22

Congress leader and Suspended RS member Syed Naseer Hussain spoke to ETV Bharat on farm bills

"The farm bills need to be discussed again in the parliament, then by the majority, it should be decided if the bills should be passed or not. Suspension of eight Opposition members should be revoked," said MP Syed Naseer Hussain.

RS Deputy chairman bringing tea, showing respect to the suspended MPs and Prime Minister tweeting the same, what you have to say about this?

If he has shown the same respect to the procedures, practices, and if he had taken the consent of the opposition parties before passing the bill, I don't think this ruckus would have happened.  

What is your opinion about the fast of deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha?

"Anybody is free to do anything. Now they know that they are on bad foot. Now they know they have to create some drama for the elections in Bihar. They can do anything for the upcoming elections. But for us, what stand we have taken in the parliament, we have stood by the farmers, we have stood by the livelihood of the farmers."

12:19 September 22

Suspended Opposition RS MPs end sit-in

Eight suspended Opposition Rajya Sabha MPs on Tuesday ended their overnight sit-in inside the Parliament House complex after the Opposition decided to boycott the remaining session in the Upper House.

"All the opposition parties have boycotted the rest of the session (in Rajya Sabha), nobody is attending the session. They appealed to us to withdraw the dharma and since nobody is attending the session till the suspension is revoked, there is no point in continuing with the dharna," suspended Congress MP Nasir Hussain said.

Hussain said all eight collectively decided to call off the protest.

Another Congress MP Rajeev Satav said they called off the protest since the Opposition has boycotted the remaining Rajya Sabha session, and added that they will now hit the streets against the farm bills.

The third suspended Congress MP, Ripun Bora, also confirmed that the protest was called off.

After many Opposition parties have boycotted the remainder of the Monsoon session of the Rajya Sabha, the dharna at Gandhi statue has ended. Now we will take our fight for the rights of the farmers to every town and village in the country, Dola Sen, Trinamool Congress MP, said. 

12:14 September 22

Kejriwal targets govt over passage of farm Bills, lauds protest by suspended RS MPs

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday targeted the government over the passage of the "dangerous" farm Bills without division of votes in Rajya Sabha, while lauding the sit-in protest on the Parliament premises by the eight suspended MPs.

The eight Rajya Sabha members, including AAP MP Sanjay Singh, were suspended for the remaining part of the Monsoon Session over "unruly behaviour" during the passage of the farm Bills in the Upper House of Parliament.

The other MPs are Derek O'Brien (TMC), Rajeev Satav (Congress), Elamaram Kareem (CPI-M), K K Ragesh (CPI-M), Syed Nazir Hussain (Congress), Ripun Boren (Congress) and Dola Sen (TMC).

Since their suspension on Monday, the eight MPs have been holding a protest on the Parliament premises.

Kejriwal said these eight MPs were fighting for the rights of farmers without worrying about heat, mosquitoes or other inconveniences and have spent the night protesting in the Parliament complex.

"They are not asking for anything for themselves. They are fighting for democracy and the Constitution. They are struggling for the farmers of the country," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

Farmers across the country are saying that these laws will end them, he added.

"Such a dangerous Bill was passed without division of votes. Then what is the meaning of Parliament, what is the meaning of elections? If you have to pass the law this way, then why did you call a Parliament session," Kejriwal asked in another tweet in Hindi.

11:34 September 22

Oppn members in Rajya Sabha stage walkout

New Delhi:A number of opposition parties led by the Congress on Tuesday staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha demanding that the suspension of eight members be revoked.

The Congress was the first to walkout from the House along with members of the AAP, TMC and Left parties.

The members of all these three parties are among those who have been suspended by the House for the remaining part of the Monsoon session.          

Some parties like the NCP, SP, Shiv Sena and RJD also staged a walkout later.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu made a fresh appeal to members of all opposition parties to rethink their decision of boycotting the House proceedings and participate in the discussions of the House.

"I appeal to all members to rethink their decision of boycott and participate in the discussion," Naidu said in the House.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said: "The government is not hell-bent upon keeping the suspended MPs out of the House," he says. 

"If they express regret, the government will look into it."

Former PM HD Deve Gowda said the government and Opposition should sit together to run the House.

Earlier Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said the opposition will boycott the proceedings of the House till the suspension of eight members is revoked.

Speaking after the Zero Hour, Azad also demanded that the government brings a bill which should ensure private players don't procure food grains below the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the government. 

As many as eight members of the Rajya Sabha were suspended on Monday after the government brought a motion in this regard which was passed by the House by voice vote. 

These eight members were suspended for "unruly behaviour" during the passage of the two key farm bills on Sunday by Rajya Sabha amid chaos. PTI