VD Suspension of Congress MPs unites opposition

The suspension of 25 Congress Lok Sabha members brought the entire opposition together against the NDA government on Tuesday.

The Congress looked almost isolated after Monday's all-party meeting called to end the parliament impasse, with only the Left supporting its demand for the resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and BJP Chief Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan of Madhya Pradesh and Vasundhara Raje of Rajasthan.

But it was a different picture on Tuesday.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that at least nine parties had pledged to support his party's protest against the suspensions.

Apart from the Congress, the parties which boycotted the Lok Sabha proceedings included the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Janata Dal-United, the Indian Union Muslim League, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party.

A senior BJP minister admitted that the suspension "has gained them (Congress) sympathy. Along with the Lok Sabha, that shows in the Rajya Sabha too."

In the Rajya Sabha, where the opposition is in a majority, most opposition members used to be seated while Congress members protested at the presiding officer's podium until now.

The scene was different on Tuesday with all opposition parties up on their feet.

Another BJP leader said the speaker might pardon the Congress members if they apologised.

"Usually members are pardoned but they have to take the initiative. For getting pardon, opposition leaders or the members need to go to the speaker and apologise."

CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, however, did not buy the argument, saying it was the BJP's and the media's creation that there were differences in the opposition ranks.

"What is happening on the floor of the house is what is important. And you can see that almost all parties have been supporting us (Congress and the Left)," he said.

At a show of strength at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the parliament complex, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh led scores of Congress leaders in a noisy protest.

Sonia Gandhi termed the suspension of the MPs a "murder" of democracy.

When the Lok Sabha met in the morning, several opposition parties had boycotted the proceedings.

Members of the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Left were present in he morning but staged a walkout after the speaker did not allow them to raise the issue of suspension.

Even parties like the Biju Janata Dal and the AIADMK, who attended the day's proceedings, protested against the speaker's move.