BJP giving lectures after breaking every rule: Derek O'Brien on suspension

The suspension of Derek O'Brien from Rajya Sabha for the Winter Session came within three hours of the Trinamool Congress floor leader throwing the Rule Book at the reporter's table even as he defended his action saying the BJP was trying to give "lectures" when it is breaking every rule.

However, Leader of the House and senior BJP MInister Piyush Goyal told the House that the incident was "not just an insult to the House, not just the Chair but to the whole country" and that "we thought that the opposition will learn some lessons but the same thing has been repeated".

The incident of throwing the Rule Book came at around 3 pm after the Opposition demand for voting on a motion for sending the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was not allowed citing that the House was not in order.

Soon after the Bill was passed, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Goyal spoke about the incident. At around 6 PM, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan moved a motion charging the Trinamool leader for unruly behaviour and gross indiscipline.

According to the motion adopted in the House, O’Brien has been suspended for the remaining part of the Winter Session for his “unruly and contemptuous behaviour, unbecoming” of a Rajya Sabha MP by “brazenly throwing the Rajya Sabha Rule Book towards the Chair” and thereby “bringing disrepute and shame to the august House”.

Following the announcement, O'Brien tweeted, "the last time I got suspended from Rajya Sabha was when the government was bulldozing farm laws. We all know what happened after that. Today, suspended while protesting against BJP making a mockery of Parliament and bulldozing election laws bill. Hope this Bill too will be repealed soon."

He defended his action saying what happened in the House was a repeat of how the now repealed farm laws were passed and said the BJP has the gall to give lectures about the Rule Book after breaking every rule and precedent. "Irony just died. (Only two people at the funeral) Guess who," he tweeted earlier after Goyal made remarks against him in the House.

Asked whether his action was against the decorum of Parliament, he told DH, "(Narendra) Modi and (Amit) Shah have snatched the soul and heart of Parliament. It is a serious issue"

O'Brien said they all have regard for the Chair and rules but alleged that the Chair did the same thing that the Chair did on the farm laws. He was referring to the passing of contentious farm bills during the 2020 Monsoon Session amid Opposition protest over not allowing voting on it.

Speaking in Rajya Sabha Goyal said, "they are doing this kind of politics in one state and if they pass on such bad traditions to the next generation, then I am afraid that there is a lot of danger to the democratic traditions of the country...I think decency is the least that we can expect even amongst ourselves."

Yadav said throwing the rule book was against the decorum of the House. "This country has been witnessing drama for a long time.... This is a shame on the democratic system of the country.... We are tied to the rule book," he said.

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