NEW DELHI: On Monday, a few of the 13 suspended Lok Sabha members demonstrated in front of Parliament, holding placards and calling for Home Minister Amit Shah to issue a statement regarding the incident involving the security breach. With placards in hand, Congress MPs Mohammed Jawaid, Hibi Eden, Benny Behanan, Dean Kuriakose, and S Venkatesan of the CPI(M) protested against the government while seated on the steps of Makar Dwar of Parliament. According to Jawaid, the purpose of the protest is to convey the message that the events of December 13 were a major security breach, and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ought to have addressed the House about it and explained to the citizens of the nation why it occurred.“You (BJP leaders) praised the new Parliament building, claimed that it was fully secure, it has not even been four months and during a debate intruders came in the Lok Sabha chamber, what can be a bigger breach…so either the PM or the Home Minister (Amit Shah) should make a statement in the House,” the congressman from Kishenganj said. On the suspension of the lawmakers, Jawaid stated, “We have seen in the four-and-a-half years, whenever someone has asked for answers from the prime minister, the home minister, Adani, suspension is a small thing, membership is being terminated, as we saw in Rahul Gandhi’s case.” As they entered and left the Parliament building, a number of opposition MPs stood in solidarity with the legislators who had been suspended and took pictures with them. On December 13, two protesters with opposition parties leaped from the visitors’ gallery into the Lok Sabha chamber, demanding a statement from Shah. Shah’s resignation has also been requested by some members. The government has maintained that the Lok Sabha secretariat is in charge of maintaining security in the Parliament complex and that it has been doing so in accordance with the Speaker’s orders. It has also previously pointed out a great deal of these infractions, charging the opposition with politicising the matter.Due to their disruptive behaviour, thirteen opposition MPs—nine from the Congress and Kanimozhi of the DMK—were barred from the Lok Sabha for the balance of the session, which ends on December 22. The suspension has been met with criticism from opposition parties, who point out that their members have been suspended for bringing up the matter, while BJP MP Prathap Simha, who helped two accused carry smoke canisters on their way, has escaped punishment.
