7 Congress members suspended for rest of Lok Sabha Budget session for for snatching papers from Speaker

Lok Sabha suspends seven Congress members for the remaining period of the Budget Session taking note of their "gross misconduct" after some of them “forcefully” snatched papers and tossed them from the Speaker podium while protesting on certain issues in the House.

Congress members Gaurav Gogoi, T N Prathapan, Dean Kuriakose, Manicka Tagore, Rajmohan Unnithan, Benny Behanan and Gurjeet Singh Aujla were suspended for the remainder of the Session after a motion moved by the government in this regard was passed by the Lower House with voice votes.

Before parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi moved the motion for suspension of the seven Congress members, BJP's Meenakshi Lekhi, who was presiding over the proceedings of the House as its Chair, took their names, condemning their behaviour.

Once a member is named by the Chair, he or she cannot attend the House for that day.

The Congress condemned the action against its members calling it as "a dictatorial decision" by the government and “revenge politics”, alleging that they were suspended to weaken the Opposition's voice ahead of a debate to be held over Delhi riots in the House.

On the other hand, the BJP, which enjoys majority in the House, welcomed the suspension of the Congress members, describing their conduct in the Lok Sabha as "unprecedented".

The issue led to a huge political row and appeared to have marred the functioning of the House for the next few days with the Opposition party taking serious exception to the action against its members.

Amid indications that there will be no let up in further escalation on the issue from the Opposition side, sources said, the parliamentary affairs minister later urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to disqualify Congress member Gogoi, whom the BJP sees as the frequent troublemaker in the House.

The trouble began after Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) member from Rajasthan Hanuman Beniwal made certain controversial remarks against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her family members while speaking in the House on the issue of the novel coronavirus.

Agitated over Beniwal's remarks, the Congress members stormed the Well in protest and began demanding for his suspension, disrupting the proceedings of the House. The Congress' unrelenting protest prompted the Chair to adjourn the House four times.

As the Lok Sabha reassembled at 3 pm, Lekhi, while presiding over the proceedings of the House, named Gogoi and other six Congress members, saying “Such unfortunate incident has possibly happened for the first time in parliamentary history. I condemn this behaviour."

The parliamentary affairs minister, subsequently, rose from his seat and moved a motion to suspend these Congress members.

“That this house having taken serious note of gross misconduct of these members' utter disregard to the House and authority of the Chair and having been named by the Speaker resolve that these members be suspended from the service of the House from the remainder of the session," Joshi said, amid uproar by the Congress members.

As the House passed the government's motion with voice votes, Lekhi asked the seven Congress members to leave the Lok Sabha chambers “immediately,” and then adjourned the proceedings of the House for the day.

When the process for the passage of the Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, was underway, Congress' Gogoi was seen throwing papers kept on the Lok Sabha Speaker's podium while others his party were protesting against the RLP member's remark against Sonia and her family members.