Derek O’Brien Suspended from Rajya Sabha for Remainder of Winter Session

NEW DELHI:
TMC member Derek O’Brien was on Thursday suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remaining part of the Winter Session for his ”unruly behaviour” and ”misconduct” in the House .

Soon after the House assembled at noon after an initial adjournment, Chair man Jagdeep Dhankhar named O’Brien and warned him against disrupting the House proceedings and raising slogans in utter disregard of the directions of the Chair .

The Chair man had earlier named O’Brien in the morning for his ”unruly behaviour” and had asked him to leave the House . But he remained inside the House .

Accusing O’Brien of violating the directions of the chair and for disrupting the proceedings of the House , the chairman allowed Leader of the House Piyush Goyal to move a motion in this regard.

The motion was adopted with a voice vote and the chairman announced that O’Brien stands suspended from the House for the remainder of the session.

Dhankhar then adjourned the proceedings till 2 PM as members of the opposition protested the suspension.

”Gross defiance to directions imparted by the chair was noticed when Derek O’Brien despite being named and directions being given to withdraw from the Council immediately continued to not only remain in the chamber but should slogans, gesticulated aggressively. Such gross misconduct on part of Derek O’Brien cannot be countenanced. I again name Derek O’Brien under Rule 256 for violating the directions of the House ,” the chairman said soon after the House met.

Reading out the motion, Goyal said the House has taken a serious note of the ”misconduct” of Derek O’Brien, who entered the well of the House and has been continuously shouting slogans and disrupting the proceedings of the House in utter disregard to the authority of the Chair . Putting the motion to vote, the Chair said the same has been adopted with a voice vote.

”The motion is adopted. Derek O’Brien, member, is suspended for the remaining part of the session,” the Chair man announced, with opposition members shouting ”No” in chorus.

They also raised slogans like ”tanashahi nahin chalegi” (dictatorship will not be tolerated) and ”Derek ka suspension nahin sahenge” (will not tolerate suspension).

The Chair man then announced the start of the Question Hour, but members continued to create din and did not allow the House to function.

”Honourable members, the only loser for not continuing with the Question Hour is the opposition. The government’s response has already come. It is absolute disregard of public duty and conduct and respect for the public,” the Chair man announced while adjourning the proceedings till 2 PM.

O’Brien was demanding a discussion on the issue of breach in Parliament security.

In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack on Wednesday, two persons — Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D — jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released coloured smoke from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by the MPs The TMC leader was named by the Chair during the previous session too, but was not suspended.