The suspension of seven Congress MPs for causing a ruckus in the Lok Sabha last week was revoked on Wednesday, reported NDTV. Speaker Om Birla had suspended the parliamentarians from attending the rest of the session on charges of gross misconduct on March 5.
Gaurav Gogoi, TN Prathapan, Dean Kuriakose, R Unnithan, Manickam Tagore, Benny Behnan and Gurjeet Singh Aujla were those suspended from the Lower House. Earlier in the day, members of the Opposition had chanted slogans, calling for the revocation of the expulsion order. Following the protests, the House was first adjourned till 12.30 pm, which was extended to 1.30 pm.
After the Lok Sabha reconvened at 1.30 pm, several leaders in the Opposition welcomed Birla, who was absent from the proceedings for the last four days of the session. “The House was feeling like an orphan because you [Om Birla] were missing,” said TMC MP Sougata Roy. “No one protected our rights.”
Several members also expressed their opinions on the disruptions, with many of them condemning them. Many parliamentarians also urged the Speaker to revoke the suspension of the seven Congress MPs.
Earlier in the day, Birla presided over an all-party meeting to discuss the smooth functioning of the Lok Sabha.
The Lok Sabha was expected to begin discussions on the riots in the national Capital that claimed at least 53 lives and injured over 200 last month with Union Home Minister Amit Shah scheduled to respond on the matter.
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