The Trinamool Congress(TMC) has been vocal against the BJP led Centre on various issues. However, what they did not expect is to be amongst other MPs of opposition parties to be suspended. TMC MP Derek Obrien, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Sanjay Singh, Congress's Rajeev Satav and CPM's KK Ragesh are in the list of MPs to be suspended over chaos over the Farm Bills on Sunday.
The decision was taken by Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu. Naidu said that he was pained at the way papers were thrown, mics wrenched away and Deputy Chairman Harivansh Singh was ‘physically abused’ in the upper house on Sunday.
West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in her tweet on Monday said, “Suspension of the 8 MPs who fought to protect farmers interests is unfortunate & reflective of this autocratic Govt’s mindset that doesn’t respect democratic norms & principles. We won't bow down & we'll fight this fascist Govt in Parliament & on the streets. #BJPKilledDemocracy (sic).”
The TMC believes the Farm Bills are anti-farmer. Obrien, in a video, said that Sunday was a historic day in Parliament for all the wrong reasons. The video was released before the news of him being suspended came in.
“I certainly had a resolution that these bills ought to go for further examination. That is the Parliamentary parampara (Tradition). But this was an ordinance, emergency legislation and the BJP track record on the ordinance is really bad because they want to use this excuse of emergency and push through ordinances. So there has not been any scrutiny of this bill.” Said Derek Obrien.
“Today that right was taken away from the opposition. That is a serious breach of a Parliamentary rule, Parliamentary tradition. It is like literally taking Parliamentary democracy and shoving a knife into it and then the bill has got passed in a voice vote. So you don’t expect the opposition to sit down and eat lollipops while this is happening. We protested, everybody.” Said the TMC MP who also added that the BJD and TRS, who support the BJP, also wanted this bill to go to the committee.
“I have heard many people say that opposition doesn’t understand democracy, they don’t regard democracy. What happened today is that, when the bill came, we as the opposition said send this bill to a committee.” Explained Obrien saying there was a division of votes and questioned why this happened at 1:10 pm after which the opposition was in the well in the house and opposition broke the microphones terming it is BJP breaking the backbone of Parliamentary democracy.
Obrien went on to clarify that he did not tear the rule book and that if tomorrow he needs to tear the rule book, he will tear it. “Extreme situation comes with the extreme form of protests. What are we talking about breaking two-three microphones? BJP is actually breaking the very backbone of our very Parliamentary democracy. So this was a protest. I was part of the protest. Even if I tore the rule book, what rules are there? I did not tear the rule book, but even if I did tear the rule book, I have no regrets. ”