The suspension of eight opposition members who were barred from the House on February 3 due to “unruly” behavior was immediately lifted by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Speaker Om Birla emphasized that no signs, posters, pictures, or AI-generated images should be displayed within the House or in the Parliament complex. According to news agency PTI, Congressman K Suresh asked the House to take into consideration the revocation of the eight opposition members, stating that his party was prepared to assist in the House’s efficient operation and that whatever had occurred in the House was regrettable.
For the House to run well, a “Laxman Rekha” (line of sanctity) must be drawn, according to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Speaker Birla stated that it is necessary to make sure that the House and the Parliament premises are free of any signs, posters, pictures, or AI-generated images.
A voice vote was then used to approve Rijiju’s proposal to lift the suspension of seven Congress MPs and one CPI-M member. Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Prashant Padole and Dean Kuriakose of the Congress, and S Ventakesan of the CPI(M) were among the MPs suspended. After his suspension was lifted, Manickam Tagore spoke with PTI Videos outside the Parliament complex, saying, “Why did we protest? The question is very simple.”
He said Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to complete his speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President on June 3. After that, the speeches of all the floor leaders of the Samajwadi Party, DMK, TMC, Shiv Sena and the NCP were also skipped, and the proceedings moved to the ruling benches, and, therefore, they protested.
“We said that the Motion of Thanks to the Honourable President is an important process and should not be bypassed. The Leader of the Opposition and all opposition leaders, who represent 240 MPs, cannot be silenced,” he said.
Aujla, whose suspension was also revoked, said India’s democracy stands strongest when voices are heard, not silenced. “I am proud of the seven fellow MPs who stood strong together in this struggle – We stood united and we will continue to stand for democratic values and the voice of the people,” he said.
The seven Congress MPs first paid homage at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi before entering the Lok Sabha.
Congress MP Prashant Padole said, “Truth has prevailed. Going forward, we will raise the issues of the people in Parliament and continue to fight for their rights… Whatever it takes, we are ready, even if it costs us our lives. The concerns of ordinary citizens and matters of national interest must be addressed properly.”
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told reporters, “Dignity should be maintained by both sides.”
The eight MPs were suspended on February 3 for “unruly” behaviour following a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha in the first half of the ongoing Budget session. They were suspended for the entire duration of the Budget session scheduled to conclude on April 2.
Earlier, after Suresh’s submission, Samajwadi Party member Dharmendra Yadav supported the move, saying his party was ready to cooperate in maintaining the highest standards of Parliament. “I want to assure the House that we will not do anything that hurts the dignity of the House. But the ruling alliance members should also behave properly,” Yadav said, taking the name of BJP’s Nishikant Dubey, whom he asked to “correct himself”.
