Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien has been suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remainder of the Monsoon Session, the House Chairperson and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar announced on Tuesday.
The TMC MP has been suspended from the Rajya Sabha ‘for unruly behaviour unbecoming of a Member of Rajya Sabha’, Dhankar said.
A motion to suspend O’Brien was moved by the Leader of the House Piyush Goyal.
“I move a motion for the suspension of Mr Derek O’Brien for the remainder of this session for continuously and wilfully disturbing the proceedings of the House, disobeying the Chair and for continuously creating disturbance in the House,” Goyal said.
O’Brien and Dhankar got into a heated war of words on Monday, with the Rajya Sabha speaker asking him to ‘leave the house immediately’ after accusing him of engaging in ‘theatrics’ amid a debate on the controversial Delhi Services Bill.
After O’Brien refused to confine his speech to the discussion on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and accused the Central Government of ‘mutilating democracy’, a visibly upset Dhankar said, “Mr Derek O’Brien, I warn you. Leave the House immediately…
“This is most ignoble conduct… No one expects a member like you to get into this mode… Mr Derek O’Brien, your conduct in the House has been most ignoble, and this has become your habit, and you are doing this as a part of [your] strategy. And you think you will enjoy publicity outside? Sit down, take your seat.”
Dhankar further warned Derek O’Brien that he will name the MP.
“Honourable members, you have seen a spectacle now. Are we in [agreement] for such kind of conduct? Here is a member who rises suddenly and engages into dramatics, theatrics. Are you here for this? Is it your oath? Sir, the outsmarting never pays,” Dhankar continued.
“I take a very strong note of it… The proceedings are being suffered [because of] you. Your demeanour does not justify the position you hold. You are required to exemplify your conduct,” he continued.
Earlier, while speaking on the Bill, O’Brien said, “I stand here to strongly oppose this bill. Mr Narendra Modi is a child of federalism. He was a chief minister before coming to Delhi.
“Why would a child of federalism come to Parliament and ensure that about one-third of the bills passed here are anti-federal? Why would a child of federalism sanction ₹40,000 crore as a special budget for higher education and give only ₹700 crore to state universities?” he said.
Dhankar later expunged several parts of Derek O’Brien’s speech from the Parliamentary records.
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