The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction, led by Sharad Pawar, staged a protest in Pune's Warje against the suspension of its MPs Supriya Sule and Amol Kolhe from the Lok Sabha.
Sule, who represents the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, and Kolhe, who represents Shirur, were among the 141 Opposition leaders suspended from the Parliament allegedly for unruly behaviour in the House.
City unit chief Prashant Jagtap, alongside former corporator Sachin Dodke and other local leaders, spearheaded the NCP's protest. They were vocal against the Narendra Modi-led government, chanting slogans like "Nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi, tanasahi nahi chalegi" and "Dhikkar aso, dikkhar aso Modi sarkarcha dikhhar aso." They also carried placards highlighting the perceived injustice faced by their MPs.
During the protest, Jagtap expressed disdain, stating that the BJP's actions disrespect the voters who elected Opposition representatives. He denounced the alleged dictatorial behaviour, particularly highlighting Supriya Sule and Amol Kolhe's suspension despite raising critical issues such as the farmers' plight in Parliament. He condemned this as a painful deviation from democracy and a stark insult to the freedom fighters and the architect of India's Constitution, Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Jagtap concluded by affirming that the response to their protest bolstered their resolve to intensify their fight against what they perceive as the government's dictatorial actions.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sule and Kolhe condemned their suspension from the Lok Sabha, terming it a "black day" for India’s parliamentary democracy.
Sule criticised the BJP government, expressing dismay over the suspension. She highlighted that their suspension was a consequence of merely demanding discussions on critical issues like security breaches and surging onion prices. Describing it as an attack on the Constitution, she vowed to stand firm against the "assault on the nation’s constitutional fabric by BJP government."
On the other hand, Kolhe likened it to the Emergency era, expressing shock over his suspension. He detailed the reason for his suspension, citing his act of holding up a poster protesting the ban on onion exports. Both he and Sule demanded a lift on the export ban and sought discussion on the matter. Kolhe emphasised the plight of onion farmers, stressing that the government's actions had led to a drastic fall in onion prices, affecting the farmers adversely.
He further added, "During the Congress regime, the BJP MPs would come to Lok Sabha wearing garlands of onions to register their protest. They protested for consumers. Supriya Sule and I were protesting in favour of onion farmers. Is our PM not concerned about the farmers?”
