Suspension of 8 Lok Sabha MPs revoked; Speaker Birla says no more display of banners, posters
New Delhi (PTI): The Lok Sabha on Tuesday revoked with immediate effect the suspension of eight opposition members, who were barred from the House on February 3 for "unruly" behaviour, with Speaker Om Birla stressing that there should be no display of placards, posters, photos or AI-generated images inside the House or in the Parliament complex.
Congress member K Suresh requested the House to consider the revocation of the eight opposition members, saying whatever had happened in the House was regrettable, and that his party was ready to cooperate in the smooth functioning of the House.
Following the submissions by several opposition members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said there was a need to draw a ‘Laxman Rekha’ for the smooth functioning of the House, which both treasury and opposition benches agreed to.
Speaker Birla said there is a need to ensure that no placards, posters, photos or AI-generated images are displayed in the House or inside the Parliament complex.
Birla said that everyone is of the opinion that proceedings in the Parliament of the world's largest democracy should be smooth, and everyone should cooperate.
Rijiju then moved a motion to remove the suspension of seven Congress MPs and one CPI-M member, which was adopted by a voice vote.
The suspended MPs were Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Prashant Padole and Dean Kuriakose of the Congress, and S Ventakesan of the CPI(M).
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The eight MPs were suspended on February 3 for “unruly” behaviour following a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha in the first half of the ongoing Budget session.
They were suspended for the entire duration of the Budget session scheduled to conclude on April 2.
Earlier, after Suresh's submission, Samajwadi Party member Dharmendra Yadav supported the move, saying his party was ready to cooperate in maintaining the highest standards of Parliament.
“I want to assure the House that we will not do anything that hurts the dignity of the House. But the ruling alliance members should also behave properly,” Yadav said, taking the name of BJP's Nishikant Dubey, whom he asked to “correct himself”.
Dubey immediately refuted Yadav, saying that during his 17 years of Parliamentary career, he has not done anything that lowered the dignity of the House.
The BJP MP also demanded an apology from the Samajwadi Party MP for his remarks.
NCP leader Supriya Sule said efforts should be made by both ruling and opposition members so that the House functions smoothly.
“No one should make any personal comments on anyone. We (opposition) should respect the treasury benches, which should also respect the opposition. There should be a ‘Laxman Rekha’, which no one should breach,” she said.
JD-U leader and Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said the House should function smoothly and both sides should cooperate.
Rijiju said the ruling alliance members will not break rules, nor have they ever broken rules in the past.
"A ‘Laxman Rekha’ should be drawn. People did not elect us to disrupt House proceedings or stage protests. The House should function smoothly with everyone's cooperation," Rijiju said.
Suresh said that since Monday, the opposition members have not shown any placards or banners, and that they are ready to cooperate in the proper functioning of the House.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
