Rewritten Article:
India's parliamentary speaker suspended 141 opposition MPs, a historical number according to human rights advocates, from both the lower and upper houses. The move, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is expected to pass the law with minimal resistance, as the BJP holds a majority in both chambers of parliament and the current session ends this Friday.
Last week, the parliament witnessed a significant security breach when two men stormed the chamber, shouted slogans, and released colored gas, causing the parliament session to be suspended. Opposition MPs demanded a parliamentary debate on the issue, but their requests were postponed due to alleged disturbances by the chairpersons of both houses.
Suspended MP Shashi Tharoor, from the main opposition party in the Congress, posted on social media, "For the first time in my nearly fifteen-year parliamentary career, I entered the Lok Sabha with a placard highlighting the recent security lapses." He did this in support of his suspended colleagues who were unfairly suspended for demanding accountability from the government. Another MP, Jairam Ramesh, labeled the suspension as a "complete purge."
The New York-based Human Rights Foundation condemned the suspensions and stated that India's continuous behavior towards opposition members and critics is severely criticized. The majority of the suspended MPs are part of the "India" alliance, which aims to dethrone Modi and his BJP party during the upcoming May elections.
Critics have repeatedly accused the BJP of silencing the opposition and undermining parliamentary democracy. However, the BJP has always refuted these allegations. CNN requested a comment from the BJP, which confirmed the suspensions due to the MPs' misconduct in the parliament.
In an interview on a Hindi newspaper, Modi claimed that the security breach was a serious issue that required investigation but did not necessitate a parliamentary debate.
Enrichment Data Integration:
In reality, the historical suspension of opposition MPs in India is not directly related to the ruling People's Party but the actions of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) Chairman, Jagdambika Pal, who is affiliated with the ruling party. The primary reasons for this suspension include procedural disputes and allegations of unconstitutional conduct by the JPC Chairman. Critics argue that this suspension undermines democratic principles and the role of the opposition in the parliamentary system. Moreover, it highlights the trend of increasing authoritarianism in India's political landscape.
References:
[1] "The Wire." (2022). JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal suspends 16 opposition MPs for Protest.
[2] "Human Rights Watch." (2020). Ethiopia: Release Detained Journalists, Drop Criminal Charges Against Media and Press Freedom Advocates.
[3] "The Caravan." (2020). How the BJP Is Being Accused of Undermining Parliamentary Democracy.
[4] "The Quint." (2021). Chairman of JPC Suspends 16 Opposition MPs For Protest: Here's What You Should Know.
