Reacting to the suspension of the opposition MPs in the Parliament, Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan on Tuesday said she and two lone opposition MPs staged a walkout. Bachchan said that the opposition voice is being suppressed under the pretext of the MPs "disturbing" the house.
"Sansad TV shows only the chairman and the BJP ministers. Even if the opposition dies, no matter what happens, it is not shown on Sansad TV," Bachchan said. "It is a mockery of democracy. If there is no opposition, then what is democracy? Democracy is when the Parliament has both sides, Yes and No. What is your way of deciding that certain people will be dismissed and certain will not be dismissed?"
On Tuesday, 49 MPs were suspended in the Parliament, bringing the total to 141 suspensions. The move has been sharply criticised by the opposition, who have been demanding Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on the massive security breach at the Lok Sabha on December 13. Several of the suspended MPs protested outside the parliament following the suspensions.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "Is it a crime to demand a statement from the Union Home Minister regarding the breach of Parliament security? If he doesn't make a statement, then who will?"
