Opposition boycotts monsoon session, suspends suspended MPs

- There was a commotion in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday

New Delhi on 22nd September 2020 Tuesday

The eight lawmakers who were suspended in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday for rioting and misbehaving in protest of the agriculture bill ended a sit-in in front of a statue of Gandhiji outside Parliament House today, but opposition parties announced a boycott of the remaining monsoon session.

Members of the Congress, AAP and Trinamool Congress clashed in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday, claiming that the agriculture bill was against the interests of farmers. The rules book was torn. Copies of the agriculture bill were torn down and the mic smashed. As a result, Rajya Sabha Speaker Venkaiah Naidu suspended all these members. These members sat in front of the statue of Gandhiji outside the Parliament House and picketed all night. This morning Rajya Sabha Deputy Speaker Harivansh went to meet him and gave him tea and water.

However, Sanjay Singh, one of the protesting members, told Harivansh that he was also responsible for the situation. Harivansh himself also sat there fasting.

Opposition MPs this morning demanded that the suspension of eight suspended members be revoked but Rajya Sabha Speaker Venkaiah Naidu did not accept the demand and said that such misconduct could not be carried out in Parliament. Opposition groups called for a boycott of the monsoon session in protest of Naidu's decision.