BJP hails it as ‘landmark verdict’, Cong expresses disappointment

NEW DELHI: AAP's Sanjay Singh on Wednesday became the 20th MP to be suspended for unruly behaviour from Rajya Sabha sittings for the rest of the week as the Upper House saw no business transaction during the day with four adjournments and vociferous protests by opposition members.

The latest suspension triggered protests from other AAP MPs while the opposition parties insisted on a discussion on price rise. As soon as the proceedings commenced at 2 pm, opposition members, mostly from the AAP, trooped to the Well of the House. Bhubaneswar Kalita, who was in the chair, asked suspended AAP member Sanjay Singh to exit the House.

“Sanjay Singh Ji you are suspended for the rest of the week so please withdraw from the House,” he said. Kalita also asked other protesting members at the Well of the House to return to their respective seats but they kept on raising slogans.

With the MPs refusing to budge, Kalita adjourned the proceedings for the day.

The proceedings were adjourned thrice during the pre-lunch period amid uproar by the opposition members and Singh was suspended for the remainder of the week.

Earlier, the House was adjourned soon after it met at 11 am and then twice during the Question Hour - first for 15 minutes and then till 2 pm.

As soon as the House met after the first adjournment at 12 noon, Deputy Chairman Harivansh invoked Rule 256 and named AAP member Singh.

Thereafter, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan moved a motion to suspend Singh from the House for the remainder of the week. The motion was adopted by voice vote, even as opposition members continued to raise uproar in the Well of the House. The deputy chairman asked Singh to leave the House soon after the motion was adopted.

Later, Singh said he had raised in the Rajya Sabha the Gujarat hooch tragedy and was “repeatedly requesting the Chair and the government” for an answer on how spurious liquor is being sold in a state where prohibition is in place, but was suspended.

Meanwhile, twenty suspended Rajya Sabha members Wednesday started a 50-hour relay protest inside the Parliament complex, with sources saying the Opposition declined the Chairman's offer that they express regret over their members' behaviour in the House to get the suspension revoked.

The MPs are holding the protest near the Gandhi statue and will stay at the site through night, said Trinamool Congress' Dola Sen, who is one of the suspended

The 20 MPs, suspended over Monday and Tuesday, include seven from the TMC, six from the DMK, three from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and one each from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Nationalist Congress Party and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha who have no members suspended will also join the protests, sources said.

“Question: What were Opposition MPs demanding Answer: A discussion on #PriceRise #GST hurting millions of people Action : Dictatorial @ narendramodi govt suspends 24 MPs from #Parliament Next few days 24x 7 dharna at Gandhi statue. Peaceful satyagraha will always WIN,” tweeted TMC's Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien. While the Congress and other Opposition parties were protesting at different venues in the morning, by the evening, it seemed they had come together on the issue of price rise. Sources in the Opposition also said a detailed plan of action has been drawn out for the dharna and a roster of duties created which is being circulated on a dedicated WhatsApp group.

NEW DELHI: As the Supreme Court upheld certain powers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the Congress on Wednesday said that the judgment will have far-reaching implications for India's democracy, especially when governments are anchored in “political vendetta”.

In contrast to the Opposition party, BJP has hailed the verdict by calling it a “landmark judgement”. Soon after the verdict, BJP president JP Nadda said that the law of the land must be respected.

“The Supreme Court has passed a judgement on the powers and jurisdiction of the PMLA and the ED. The Supreme Court has upheld the PMLA and has also validated the jurisdiction of the ED. We honour and respect our Supreme Court and also our Constitution and our law,” said BJP spokespersons Gaurav Bhatia and Nalin Kohli, both of whom are also Supreme Court lawyers,.

In a statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the judgment pronounced by the Supreme

The 20 MPs, suspended over Monday and Tuesday, include seven from the TMC, six from the DMK, three from the TRS, two from the CPI(M) and one each from the CPI and the Aam Aadmi Party

root of the matter and amendments effected vide Finance Act would become unconstitutional or ineffective”.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot voiced disappointment and said that the apex court's ruling will increase the possibility of “political misuse” of the ED by the Centre.

“The pronouncement of the Supreme Court on the rights of PML Act and ED is disappointing and worrying,” the chief minister tweeted.

Gehlot further said, “A dictatorial atmosphere has prevailed in the country for the last few years and after this decision, the possibility of political misuse of ED by the Centre will increase further.”

Meanwhile, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the SC verdict on PMLA has cleared all doubts raised by “various quarters” and asserted the government has “no role in determining any case”.

The judgement has made it amply clear agencies don't do anything which is illegal and unconstitutional, Rijiju said, adding that the actions by probe agencies are truly in the spirit of the government's intention to check corruption and punish the corrupt.