'Is this democracy?': DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi reacts to her suspension from Lok Sabha

After suspension from the Lok Sabha, DMK MP Kanimozhi said that there is an MP, who has given the passes for the accused of Parliament security breach, which happened on Wednesday.

New Delhi: Soon after suspension from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the winter session over 'unruly behaviour', DMK MP Kanimozhi said there is an MP, who has given the passes for the accused of Parliament security breach. Speaking to ANI, the DMK MP said, "There is an MP, who has given the passes for these (accused of Parliament security breach) people to come in. No action has been taken against that MP. We have seen what happened in Mahua Moitra's case." She further said without even the inquiry being completed, Moitra was disqualified and this MP is not even suspended.

She further said, "He's inside Parliament with us. When we protested and wanted the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to come and give a statement in the House, they were not prepared to do that. And when we protested, they suspended all the opposition MPs. First, they suspended five MPs and then they suspended nine more. So how is this democracy?"

Meanwhile, opposition MPs staged a sit-in protest inside Parliament over their suspension. Reacting to it, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin called the suspension of the opposition MPs 'undemocratic'. Taking to X (formally known as Twitter), Stalin wrote, "Suspension of 15 Opposition MPs, including DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi is undemocratic and undermines the spirit of Parliamentary democracy. The intolerant attitude of the BJP-led Union Govt is condemnable."

"Is crushing MPs' freedom of expression the new norm in our Parliament? Why are people's representatives punished for seeking answers on a major security breach in our temple of democracy? We demand the immediate revocation of the 15 MPs' suspension. Parliament must be a forum for debate and not for silencing opposition," he wrote.

As many as 14 members, including nine Congress MPs, two from the CPI(M), one from the CPI, one from the DMK and TMC's MP Derek O'Brien were suspended from Parliament on Thursday for disruption in the House proceedings. The suspension holds for the remainder of the winter session.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved the resolution to suspend VK Sreekandan (Cong), Benny Behanan (Cong), Mohammad Jawed (Cong), PR Natarajan (CPI-M), Kanimozhi (DMK), K. Subbarayan (CPI), S Venkatesan (CPI-M), Manickam Tagore (Cong), T N Prathapan (Cong), Hibi Eden (Cong), Jothimani (Cong), Ramya Haridas (Cong) and Dean Kuriakose (Cong).