Gujarat Congress holds state-wide protests against suspension of 146 MPs

The Congress on Friday held protests across Gujarat against the suspension of 146 opposition members from both houses of Parliament during the recently concluded winter session, with police detaining several party workers in Surat for agitating without permission.

During the winter session of Parliament, 100 MPs from the Lok Sabha and 46 from the Rajya Sabha were suspended for unruly behaviour, disrupting proceedings and showing placards and raising slogans over the December 13 security breach. The opposition also demanded a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the incident. Local Congress leaders, legislators and party workers joined the protests organised in cities and district headquarters of Gujarat, Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said.

Several Congress workers were detained in Surat as they staged a protest without permission from the authorities, police officials said.

“We are being arrested on false grounds even when we are protesting under our democratic rights,” said a worker as he was dragged by cops into a police van in Surat.

In Ahmedabad, a demonstration led by city president Himmatsinh Patel was held near Lal Darwaza. Local legislators, leaders, officials and workers participated in the protest.

Congress leaders shouted slogans against the BJP’s “high handedness” over suspension of 146 opposition MPs.

“BJP’s despotic mentality is dangerous for democracy. The main issues the country faces today are inflation, unemployment, rising inequality, women’s security, etc. BJP has failed on many fronts, and instead of answering the MPs who ask questions, they are running away by suspending them,” Doshi said.

He called the suspension of MPs a “brazen act and assassination of democratic principles”. In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack on December 13, two men jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by the MPs.