To add to the shock of the suspension of 79 Opposition MPs in a single day, as many as 49 members faced the same fate today. This brings the total number of MPs suspended this session to 141, the highest ever.
Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Karti Chidambaram, Supriya Sule of the NCP, and Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party are among the MPs suspended by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for interrupting proceedings today.
It is to be noted that the opposition MPs have been protesting in both Houses of Parliament over last week's huge security lapse in Lok Sabha. They have demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah answer Parliament on the security lapse that allowed two intruders to enter the Lok Sabha chamber, leap from desk to desk, and emit colored smoke from canisters.
The Lok Sabha Speaker has stated that any security problem in the House is the responsibility of the secretariat, and that the centre will not be allowed to intervene. "The government cannot intervene in the functions of the Lok Sabha secretariat. That, too, will not be tolerated," he stated last week.
Earlier, in an interview with the Dainik Jagran newspaper, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the security lapse "very serious" and urged it should be investigated. He has, however, stated that there is no need for a debate on this subject.
The suspension spree began last week. Opposition MPs began demanding a statement from the Home Minister the day following the security lapse. Thirteen Lok Sabha members and one Rajya Sabha member were suspended for disruptive behavior. The Opposition MPs renewed their protest yesterday. This resulted in a record 79 suspensions in both Houses. Today's 49 bring the total to 49.
The majority of these 141 MPs have been suspended for the remainder of the term, while others are awaiting a report from the privileges committee on their behavior in the House.
Opposition MPs have been protesting their suspension on Parliament grounds.
It may further be mentioned that the suspensions were issued today after members of the opposition raised slogans and some of them came to the Well of the House. Many of the MPs carried banners with morphed images of Prime Minister Modi.
