Even as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that the security breach at the Parliament on December 13 could be attributed to rising unemployment and inflation in the country, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has clarified that there was no association between the suspension of the 14 MPs (including one Rajya Sabha MP) and the security breach at the Parliament on December 13. He has assured all members of the Parliament that a high-level Committee has been constituted for an in-depth investigation into the incident.
“The Committee has started working. The report of this Committee will be soon be shared with the -house,” the Speaker noted in his communique. “I have also constituted a High-Powered Committee which will review various aspects of security in the Parliament Complex and formulate a concrete action plan to ensure that such incidents do not recur,” he added.
“There is no association between the suspension of the Honourable Members and the incident which took place on December 13.”
LS Speaker Om Birla
The Speaker also clarified that the decision of the House to suspend 14 MPs had no relation with the security breach that took place on December 13. “There is no association between the suspension of the Honourable Members and the incident which took place on December 13,” he noted in his letter and added that suspension of the MPs was ‘purely to uphold the sanctity of the House’. “At the time of inauguration of the new building of our Parliament, we resolved we will refrain from bringing placards inside the house; we will not create ruckus in the well of the House. It was in this context that House was compelled to take strict action of suspending Honourable Members,” Speaker Om Birla stated.
Earlier in the day, Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi said that while the security breach at the Parliament was concerning, the actual reasons behind such an act was due to the fact that unemployment and inflation were affecting the people in a big way, which needed to be addressed.
Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi said that while the security breach at the Parliament was concerning, the actual reasons behind such an act was due to the fact that unemployment and inflation were affecting the people in a big way, which needed to be addressed.
Earlier on Friday, both Houses of parliament were adjourned amid protests by the opposition members over the suspension of 14 MPs following the security breach on Wednesday. Soon after the House assembled, opposition members urged the Chairman to let the leader of the opposition make a statement. The Chairman did not approve the notices, and proceeded with the Zero Hour. At this point, the entire Opposition members erupted in protest leading to the adjournment. Later, several MPs staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue on parliament premises holding placards following which 14 opposition MPs were suspended from parliament for the remainder of the Winter session for disrupting proceedings after they demanded a statement by Home Minister Amit Shah.
At least five youth, including a woman, have been arrested so far for the security breach and reports quoting Delhi police have claimed that the accused even considered self-immolation as one of the options.