18 MPs from Jharkhand suspended for ‘hooliganism’ in state assembly

Marshals lead BJP MPs from Jharkhand out of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly during their protest during the monsoon session in Ranchi on July 31, 2024. | Image Credit: PTI

On August 1, 18 Bharatiya Janata Party MPs were suspended by Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto for “hooliganism” in the Jharkhand Parliament. Their suspension will last until 2 pm on August 2.

The BJP MPs were protesting against the eviction of party MPs by the state assembly marshals on July 31 after Chief Minister Hemant Soren refused to answer their questions. The BJP MPs staged a protest in the lobby of the assembly after being escorted out of the House hall. Several of the protesting BJP MPs spent the night in the lobby near the entrance of the assembly building and slept on bed covers and blankets rolled out on the floor. They ate food delivered from outside.

When proceedings began on August 1, the protesting BJP MPs again poured into the Well, demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister and also tore up documents. Members of both the ruling party and the opposition engaged in heated discussions and amid the din, Mr Mahto suspended 18 BJP MPs. When they refused to leave the House, police officials were again called to remove them. Mr Mahto later said, “I am deeply saddened by the conduct of the BJP MPs in Parliament. This is a black day in the 24-year legislative history of Jharkhand.” He also accused the BJP MPs of “hooliganism and rowdiness” in Parliament and said the House Ethics Committee would “investigate the matter and submit a report to him within a week”.

BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Amar Kumar Bauri alleged that the Speaker was “dictatorial”. BJP MPs termed the Speaker’s actions as “murder of democracy”. “What happened was an attempt by the government to suppress the voice of the opposition MPs,” Mr Bauri said, adding, “The ruling alliance of Mukti Morcha, Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal in the state of Jharkhand has added a black chapter to the history of this Parliament. We did not bomb the House… We were only following Bapu’s principle of ahimsa (Non-violence) … Our party MPs were suspended under pressure from the government.” Mr Bauri and his BJP colleague Neelkanth Munda were not suspended but left Parliament.

The regulation Mahagathbandhan The leaders of the (Grand Alliance) accused the “opposition members of creating unrest in Parliament as the elections in the state are imminent and they want to gain electoral advantages from it”.