INDIA bloc's December 22 protest: Full details on ‘nationwide action’ against MP suspensions

Leaders of the opposition INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc are set to protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar today (December 22) against the suspension of MPs from Parliament. Moreover, these nationwide protests will take place at all district headquarters to condemn the government's "immoral and illegal" actions, said Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha.

The protest comes after three more Congress MPs – DK Suresh, Deepak Baij and Nakul Nath – were suspended from the Lok Sabha on Friday over alleged unruly behaviour. This takes the total tally of suspended lawmakers to 145 during the ongoing winter session.

Kharge announces to hold protest at Jantar Mantar 

On Thursday, the Congress national chief said, “The PM should come and speak in the house first. This is really condemnable! We are repeatedly requesting the speaker of the Lok Sabha and the chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The members of the ruling party are disturbing the proceedings. This shows that they (the BJP) don't have faith in India's democracy. The constitution and democratic practices should be upheld. Tomorrow, INDIA leaders will protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Throughout the country, opposition leaders will protest against this immoral and illegal behaviour of the BJP government.”

मोदी जी और उनकी सरकार ये नहीं चाहते कि सदन चले।

लोकतंत्र में सवाल करना हमारा अधिकार है। हम सवाल उठा रहे हैं कि संसद की सुरक्षा में जो चूक हुई, उस पर प्रधानमंत्री जी और गृह मंत्री जी बयान दें।

सदन, इस देश की सबसे बड़ी पंचायत है।अगर आप सदन में नहीं बोलेंगे तो कहाँ बोलेंगे ?… pic.twitter.com/WH9cuV3CT2

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 21, 2023

What is schedule for today’s protest?

Announcing the Jantar Mantar demonstration on Thursday, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said party leader Rahul Gandhi would join at 11 am to denounce the suspension of opposition parliamentarians on Friday.

"Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA leaders will address the rally," he stated, highlighting the "alarming" number of suspensions.

Protests over suspension of MPs

On Thursday, the Opposition alliance’s MPs had marched from Parliament to Vijay Chowk in protest. Carrying banners reading "Save Democracy" and "Opposition MPs Suspended", Congress president Kharge accused the government of violating parliamentary privilege by not addressing the PM's security breach in the House.

Following this protest march, Kharge took to X, saying, “We, the people of India need to Save Democracy. Passing important legislations by suspending Opposition MPs is not Democracy. It is the worst kind of authoritarianism.”

We, the people of India need to Save Democracy.

Passing important legislations by suspending Opposition MPs is not Democracy. It is the worst kind of authoritarianism.

Our future generations will not forgive us, if we do not raise our voices against this dictatorship, NOW ! pic.twitter.com/hGglS4GR90

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 21, 2023

“Our future generations will not forgive us, if we do not raise our voices against this dictatorship, NOW!” he added.

At Vijay Chowk, he underlined the opposition's "right to speak in a democracy" as people's representatives. But he alleged both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were unwilling to discuss the breach in Parliament while doing so publicly.

‘Want to raise Parliament security breach case'

Despite repeated requests, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla did not provide an opportunity to debate the security lapse. The opposition blamed disruptions by treasury members.

“We wanted to raise Parliament security breach issue as to why it happened and who is responsible," Kharge said.

Why were MPs suspended from Parliament?

The chaos follows the December 13 incident where two people released smoke inside the Lok Sabha chamber, breaching security. Since then, the opposition has demanded a statement from Shah but disrupted proceedings when denied.

In the ongoing winter session, around 100 Lok Sabha and 45 Rajya Sabha members have faced suspension for allegedly creating disorder and disrupting the Houses. The INDIA bloc has termed the mass suspensions "undemocratic" and "authoritarian."

Friday's planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar aims to highlight opposition unity against the government's tough stand on suspending lawmakers. However, it remains to be seen if protests can break the parliamentary logjam.