Last week, there had been uproar in the Parliament as the BJP-led government introduced several contentious Farm Bills that were eventually passed. Opposition members, objecting to the manner in which the farm bills were being passed, had on Sunday stormed the well of the House and when their demand for voting wasn't met, they tore papers, climbed on tables, shouted slogans, and even threw the rule book at Harivansh, who was presiding at that time
Condemning their behaviour, Naidu said Harivansh had later informed him that he was "abused with objectionable words" and "would have been harmed also." Soon after the House adopted by voice vote the motion for the suspension of eight MPs, the Chairman asked them to leave the House but they continued to say, protesting against the ruling. They were Derek O'Brien, KK Ragesh, Dola Sen, Syed Naseer Hussain, Sanjay Singh, Rajiv Sattav, Ripun Bora and Elamaram Karim.
A recent NDTV report however puts forth a different perspective. Footage of the proceedings that were accessed by NDTV reportedly shows that on two accounts the official version of events does not quite match what can be seen in the television footage. More specifically, there are discrepancies when it comes to the statements made with regards the extension of timing of the house to ensure voting, and the presence of members on their seats during the call for division of votes.
Following the publication of the report, Congress Rajya Sabha MP KC Venugopal took to Twitter narrating his own account.
"I was among the many MPs who witnessed the Chair's highhandedness during the passage of the draconian anti-farmer Bills, curtailing Opposition's democratic rights. Shri Digvijaya Singh and myself were both seated in the back row and demanded division of votes," he recounted.
This in turn prompted a comment from Singh who said that he "endorsed" what Venugopal had said. "We both were the signatories to the Statuary Resolution opposing the Ordinance moved by KK Ragesh I and Venugopal ji were on our seats when we were demanding Division from our seats on the Statuary Resolution," he tweeted.
