New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh has been suspended from Rajya Sabha for the remaining duration of the Parliament’s monsoon session for ‘obstructing’ the proceedings of the House.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that Sanjay Singh is suspended for the entire session for obstructing the proceedings of the House even after repeated refusals. This comes as Parliament witnessed massive chaos amid sloganeering over the Manipur issue.
The Monsoon session began on July 20 amid the pandemonium over Manipur violence, with the opposition demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statements on the same “inside the House and not outside”.
Earlier on Sunday, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur hit out at the opposition, stating that it is running away from the proceedings of the parliament.
Speaking to the media, Thakur said, “The government is ready for the discussion on Manipur but the opposition is avoiding the same. They are also running away from the proceedings of the parliament. What is their compulsion? They want to remain in the limelight but do not want to be in the discussion”.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties alliance, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will hold a protest in Parliament on Monday. As a counter to it, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also planned a protest in front of the Gandhi statue at the Parliament premises over atrocities against women in Rajasthan and West Bengal as well as other states.
Even as the recent Manipur video enraged the nation, another incident of two tribal women being stripped naked, tortured and beaten up came to light in West Bengal, which triggered a war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress.
Earlier, on July 20, MPs from BJP Bengal staged a sit-in in front of the Gandhi statue regarding the atrocities against women in Bengal.
On July 21, the Rajasthan BJP staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue against the horror killings in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, besides the continuous atrocities on women.
The BJP went on the offensive on Friday, lashing out against the West Bengal and Rajasthan governments ruled by the Trinamool Congress and Congress, respectively, regarding their record on crimes against women.
BJP MP Locket Chatterjee broke down in tears at a press conference, asking whether atrocities against women in these States would only get attention if there were viral videos recording such incidents.
Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat also highlighted similar crimes against women in Rajasthan in a separate press conference.
On the other hand, the opposition is constantly demanding a discussion in the House regarding the Manipur violence and the video that has gone viral in Manipur, the manner in which women were tortured there.
The situation in Manipur dominated the proceedings of the second day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, with the Opposition demanding the Centre to discuss the issue.
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Friday faced adjournment for the day on the Manipur issue on Friday. Both Houses could not conduct any substantial business on Thursday and Friday as the Opposition MPs rejected the government’s proposal to have a short-duration discussion.