The Lok Sabha on Tuesday (Feb 3) suspended eight Opposition members following chaotic scenes in the House, where MPs were accused of disrupting proceedings and throwing papers in the direction of the presiding Chair. The disciplinary action came after Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved a resolution citing “unruly behaviour” and serious violations of parliamentary norms.
Those suspended include Congress MPs Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Prashant Padole, Dean Kuriakose, and CPI(M) MP S Venkatesan. Following the suspension, the House was adjourned for the remainder of the day and is scheduled to reconvene on Wednesday (Feb 4) at 11:00 am.
Strongly condemning the incident, the Chair described the conduct as a serious breach of parliamentary decorum, particularly during the ongoing Budget Session, and warned that disorderly behaviour targeting the presiding officer would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
BJP members alleged that persistent disruptions by the Opposition escalated into misconduct, including attempts to target the Chair by hurling documents. The ruling party announced that it would lodge a formal complaint with the Lok Sabha Speaker, citing the incident as an example of “utter disrespect” towards parliamentary institutions.
The adjournment followed sharp exchanges over references made by Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to an unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General M M Naravane (Retd). Senior ministers objected to the citation, stating that reading from an unpublished book violated parliamentary rules, further intensifying tensions in the House.
Outside Parliament, Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with several party MPs, staged a protest at the Makar Dwar, opposing both the suspension of the eight members and the proposed India-US trade agreement.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh criticised the Opposition for what he termed “indiscipline” and alleged that during the uproar, a member climbed onto the General Secretary’s table and damaged official documents. Calling the conduct “unfortunate,” he said parliamentary proceedings could not be allowed to descend into chaos or function outside established rules.
The BJP further escalated its attack, with national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accusing Congress MPs of showing blatant disrespect to the Speaker and the institution of Parliament. Referring to the alleged throwing of papers at the Chair, Bhandari described the behaviour as “anti-Parliament and anti-Constitution,” asserting that Parliament was not the personal domain of any political family.
