Three more Rajya Sabha MPs suspended, both Houses of Parliament adjourned

Three more Rajya Sabha MPs have been suspended for the rest of the week on Thursday due to 'unruly behaviour'.

New Delhi: Three more Rajya Sabha MPs have been suspended for the remainder of this week for 'unruly behaviour' in the House on Thursday. The suspended MPs include AAP members Sushil Gupta,Sandeep Pathak, and Independent MP Ajit Bhuyan With this, the total number of suspended MPs in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha reached 27. Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 pm amid Opposition ruckus.

Soon after Rajya Sabha met at 12 noon after the first adjournment of the day, Opposition members started raising slogans and continued with their protest. They trooped into the Well of the House. Then Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh named the three concerned MPs for holding placards and shouting slogans in the well.

Soon after Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan moved a motion to suspend the three MPs from the House for the remainder of the week. It was adopted by voice vote. When a section of Opposition MPs demanded a division of votes, the Deputy Chairman asked them to go to their seats to allow a division of votes. But the Opposition MPs continued their protest. Then the House was adjourned till 2 pm.

As for the Lok Sabha, the Upper House of the Parliament was adjourned till 4 pm on Thursday amid an uproar by BJP MPs protesting against Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury calling President Droupadi Murmu "rashtrapatni".

Soon after the House met at 11 am, BJP members were up on their feet demanding an apology from Congress president Sonia Gandhi over Chowdhury's remark. "The Congress leader has disrespected the President. The Congress could not tolerate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a poor tribal woman the Presidential candidate," Union Minister Smriti Irani said.

Amid the furore, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon. However, the uproar continued when the House House reassembled. "Sonia Gandhi should apologise for Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's remarks," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said amid the din. Later, BJP member Rajendra Agarwal, who was in the Chair, adjourned the proceedings till 4 pm. (with Agency inputs)