Congress chief and opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge said on Friday that the suspension of MPs from Parliament is “painful and frustrating” and detrimental to the “core principles of Indian democracy”.
In a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar, the leader, reiterated the opposition's demand for the Home Minister to make a statement on the recent breach by Parliament. The Congress president said the government will “get its way” but the opposition must have a say. “I have no doubt that you will uphold this basic principle of parliamentary democracy in letter and spirit,” he stressed.
The Congress leader was responding to a letter from the Vice President in which he said the disruptions by Opposition MPs were making the House “dysfunctional”. Mr Kharge, on the other hand, said MPs were not allowed to speak for “even a minute or two”.
“The opposition parties were willing to engage in a meaningful discussion on this issue. Unfortunately, these announcements were not allowed, nor was I, as Leader of the Opposition, or any other member of the opposition parties allowed to speak on the floor. Parliament even for a minute or two,” he said in his letter.
While Mr Kharge called the suspension of the MPs a “blatant violation of the rules”, he agreed to the Speaker's request for dialogue. “I am more than willing to meet with you in the near future at a mutually convenient date and time to constructively address these concerns.”
Both Houses witnessed high-voltage protests by Opposition MPs demanding a discussion on the December 13 security breach in which two intruders entered the Lok Sabha chambers and detonated colored smoke canisters. More than 140 MPs were expelled from both houses for “unruly behaviour”.