Seven Congress MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha on Monday by Speaker Om Birla. Their suspension will remain in effect for the rest of the Budget Session.
The Speaker had earlier warned MPs that they would face suspension if they left their seats to enter the well of the House.
The motion was passed by voice vote in the Lower House of the Parliament after the Congress leaders exhibited "utter disregard" for House rules, and in an act of "gross misconduct", snatched papers from the Speaker's table.
The seven -- Gaurav Gogoi, T N Prathapan, Dean Kuriakose, Manicka Tagore, Rajmohan Unnithan, Benny Behanan and Gurjeet Singh Aujla -- were first named by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who was presiding over the House. This ensured that they could not attend the House for the rest of the day.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi then moved a motion to suspend these members from the House for the remaining period of the Budget session. The motion was passed by a voice vote amid protests by opposition members.
Lekhi then asked the seven members to leave Lok Sabha chambers immediately and then adjourned the House for the day.
Condemning the decision, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary said, "Is this a dictatorship? It seems the Government doesn't want Delhi violence issue to be discussed in Parliament that is why this suspension."
