We always regard chair in Lok Sabha as 'Pope of Vatican': Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday said that members regard the chair in Lok Sabha as the 'Pope of Vatican'.

Chowdhury sought revocation of suspension of seven party MPs. The seven MPs were suspended on Thursday from the House for the remaining period of the budget session.

Chaudhary also said a pickpocket cannot be sent to the gallows. His remarks drew jibes from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and JD-U member Rajiv Ranjan Singh.

Rajiv Ranjan Singh said by referring to pickpockets, Chowdhury was accepting that Congress members had made a mistake.

Joshi rubbed in the point further during his speech and said Chowdhury's "comparing" of the suspended Congress members to pickpockets was "strange and most unfortunate".

"Comparing these people with pickpocket is not right, I don't agree with that," Joshi said.

In his brief remarks, Chowdhury said members of the House will be always paying their honour and reverence to the chair.

"We always regard the chair as Pope of the Vatican. You could be resembling as the Pope of the Vatican," he said.

As members from the treasury benches interrupted him, he said: "let me speak".

He said the members never have any intention to dishonour the chair.

Noting that seven members have been suspended for an entire session, he said extraordinary precedent has been created.

"Seven MPs were suspended together on what basis, I do not have information. There were so many MPs here, so many opposition members. On what basis were seven suspended and that too for the remaining part of the budget session I do not have information," he said.

Chowdhury said the suspension was painful and everything was in the media glare and in CCTV footage.

"We have been demanding that there should be a discussion on Delhi riots," he said.

He cited a book and said that rules provide that a member who is named will be suspended for five consecutive sittings or the remaining period of session whichever is less.

"Suspension of seven MPs is not a small thing. The Speaker can terminate the suspension," he said.

Chowdhury said that remarks of BJP members when they were in opposition were also in the records and the entire session had been washed out during their protests.

The Congress leader referred to Rasthtriya Loktrantrik Party MP Hanuman Beniwal's remarks about party leaders which were expunged by the chair.

"It was said Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi have brought coronavirus from Italy. The Congress members got angry. There was a trigger. But no action was taken against him. We protest and action was taken is against us. This is not right," he said.