Kharge urges RS chairman to revoke TMC MP's suspension: ‘He was trying to…'

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Leader of Opposition in the House Mallikarjun Kharge during the Winter Session of the Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote to Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, urging him to revoke the suspension of TMC MP Derek O’Brien from the upper house. Kharge said that the Trinamool Congress lawmaker was only trying to attract his attention to raise “perfectly legitimate” demand of a statement by Union home minister Amit Shah on the issue of security breach in Parliament.

“All he was trying to do was to attract your attention so as to raise the collective demand of INDIA Parties for a statement by the Minister of Home Affairs on the shocking incident that took place in Lok Sabha on 13th December 2023,” the Congress president said. “These are perfectly legitimate demands.”

Kharge also objected to Shah speaking to a TV channel on the issue while the parliament was in session.

“It is a breach of Parliamentary traditions and conventions that the Minister of Home Affairs can speak about the events of 13th December 2023 at a media function but refuses to say anything about in form of a statement in Parliament when the Parliament itself is in session,” he said.

Two people jumped from the visitors’ gallery into the Lok Sabha chamber on December 13, triggering demands from opposition parties for a statement from Shah, with some members even seeking the home minister’s resignation.

Shortly after Rajya Sabha met at 11 am on Thursday, almost all opposition MPs trooped to the Well of the House demanding a discussion on the Parliament security breach. O’Brien too moved into the area in front of the chair and flung his arms in the air. This infuriated Rajya Sabha Chairman, who named the TMC MP and asked him to leave the House.

Leader of the House Piyush Goyal later moved a motion to suspend O’Brien for the remaining part of the session, which was passed by voice vote.

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