New Delhi: Leaders of the opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Friday held a protest against the suspension of 146 opposition MPs during the ongoing winter session of the Parliament in the national capital on Friday with the Congress stating that the constituent parties of the opposition bloc were "fighting unitedly to save country and democracy".
Scores of INDIA alliance leaders gathered at the Jantar Mantar here to protest against the mass suspension of the MPs from the Parliament's Winter Session, which was adjourned sine die on Thursday. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge while speaking at the INDIA protest said, “The more you try to crush us, the more we will rise. We are fighting unitedly to save country, democracy” while attacking the BJP over the mass suspension of the MPs.
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LIVE: INDIA leaders protest against suspension of 143 INDIA parties MPs at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. https://t.co/DiN0P7hC1G
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 22, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">LIVE: INDIA leaders protest against suspension of 143 INDIA parties MPs at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. https://t.co/DiN0P7hC1G
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 22, 2023LIVE: INDIA leaders protest against suspension of 143 INDIA parties MPs at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. https://t.co/DiN0P7hC1G
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 22, 2023
“When all unite, Narendra Modi won't be able to do anything,” Mallikarjun Kharge said. "We have to fight unitedly. PM Modi is trying to instill fear among us through ED and CBI but the Congress won't be scared," he added. Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi while speaking at the protest said, “By shunting out 150 MPs from Parliament, govt has shut out voice of 60 per cent Indians”.
"Two-three youths entered the Parliament with smoke cannister and we saw how BJP MPs got scared and ran away. Now, it is definitely a question of a security breach but the reason behind the protest (of youth intruding into the Lok Sabha) is unemployment," the Congress MP said.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who was among the suspended lawmakers, on Thursday said that the Friday protest of the INDIA bloc will be staged in all the states. "It's appropriate to protest and all of us will be at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The INDIA alliance protest will happen everywhere tomorrow (Friday) morning in all the states because we want to show the public that if they'd run Parliament like this and won't listen to the opposition then they are ruining the democracy," he had said.
On INDIA bloc's protest on mass suspension of MPs, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said, “The way democracy is being murdered is a blot on our country. If an MP raises any issue outside the Parliament, then the ED gives notice. If an MP raises an issue in Parliament, then the Speaker suspends the MP from the Hosue."
Aam Aadmi Party MPs including ND Gupta, Sandeep Pathak, Sant Balbir Seecehwal, and Sanjeev Arora will also join the INDIA bloc protest today. A total of 146 MPs -- 100 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha -- are currently suspended so far after the opposition demanded a statement from Union Minister Amit Shah about the Parliament security breach incident on the 22nd anniversary of the parliament attack.
The Congress, which is leading the INDIA alliance is holding simultaneous protests at all district headquarters against the suspension of the MPs. The state units of the party including J&K and Haryana held protests against the suspension of MPs.
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अगर देश की संसद में लोगों की आवाज उठाने की इजाजत नहीं है तो संसद की आवश्यकता क्या है?
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 22, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
मोदी सरकार देश के संविधान का गला घोंट रही है।
आज भारत का प्रजातंत्र खतरे में है। ऐसे में INDIA गठबंधन चुप नहीं रहेगा, हम आखिरी सांस तक देश की जनता के लिए लड़ेंगे।
: कांग्रेस महासचिव व… pic.twitter.com/5eJEkliS2z
">अगर देश की संसद में लोगों की आवाज उठाने की इजाजत नहीं है तो संसद की आवश्यकता क्या है?
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 22, 2023
मोदी सरकार देश के संविधान का गला घोंट रही है।
आज भारत का प्रजातंत्र खतरे में है। ऐसे में INDIA गठबंधन चुप नहीं रहेगा, हम आखिरी सांस तक देश की जनता के लिए लड़ेंगे।
: कांग्रेस महासचिव व… pic.twitter.com/5eJEkliS2zअगर देश की संसद में लोगों की आवाज उठाने की इजाजत नहीं है तो संसद की आवश्यकता क्या है?
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 22, 2023
मोदी सरकार देश के संविधान का गला घोंट रही है।
आज भारत का प्रजातंत्र खतरे में है। ऐसे में INDIA गठबंधन चुप नहीं रहेगा, हम आखिरी सांस तक देश की जनता के लिए लड़ेंगे।
: कांग्रेस महासचिव व… pic.twitter.com/5eJEkliS2z
On Thursday, after the conclusion of the 262nd Session of the Rajya Sabha, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he is “pained to state that nearly 22 hours of the Upper House were lost due to avoidable disruptions”. "I am pained to state that nearly 22 hours were lost due to avoidable disruptions adversely impacting our overall productivity that finally stood at 79 percent. Weaponizing disruptions and disturbance as a political strategy doesn't resonate with our constitutional obligation of keeping the interest of people at large above any other political considerations," the Rajya Sabha Chairman said.
Earlier on Thursday, suspended MPs took out a march from the Parliament building to Vijay Chowk to protest against the bulk suspension of opposition lawmakers. Meanwhile, NCP supremo and former minister Sharad Pawar while speaking at the INDIA bloc protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, said, "We are ready to pay any price to save the democracy..."
Congress MP from Kerala Shashi Tharoor, while participating in the protest said, “In the history of democracy in the world, 146 MPs have never been suspended”. “People should know that the democracy is in danger. The protest is to tell the people that whatever is happening is wrong for the future of the country...There is only one solution, people should change this government and bring the INDIA Alliance into power...," Tharoor said.
Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “If people are not allowed to raise their voice in the Parliament of the country then what is the need of the Parliament?” “Modi government is strangulating the constitution of the country. Today India's democracy is in danger. In such a situation, INDIA alliance will not remain silent, we will fight for the people of the country till our last breath,” he said.
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