Seven Congress parliamentarians, who were suspended on Thursday for throwing paper at the chair in the lower house during proceedings, continue to protest within the premises of parliament demanding the resignation of Home Minster Amit Shah and discussions on the violence in Delhi. They were led by the former chief of the party Rahul Gandhi.
In a video published by Indian media, the parliamentarians can be heard chanting slogans such as “Charcha karo Charcha Karo, Delhi ko Insaaf Do” (Discuss the issue and do justice to Delhi) and “Grih Mantri Istifaa Do” (Home Minister Must Resign). The lawmakers also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi answer for the three days of deadly riots in Delhi.
#WATCH Rahul Gandhi and other Congress MPs protest near Mahatma Gandhi statue at Parliament, demanding the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over #DelhiViolence. pic.twitter.com/J4VhyuAqRM
— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2020
The federal government has clarified in Parliament that it is ready to discuss the Delhi violence on 11 March in the lower house (Lok Sabha) and on 12 March in the upper house (Rajya Sabha).
The seven Congress lawmakers were suspended for tossing papers at Lower House Speaker Om Birla despite him warning them of suspension for the unruly behaviour. The incident occurred after regional parliamentarian Hanuman Beniwal of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party commented about Congress’ Gandhi family which holds the reins of the party.
Parliament has been facing difficulty in going about its daily business due to continuous protests in both houses, with frequent adjournment and suspension notices moved by opposition lawmakers over the Delhi violence.
Northeast Delhi, the epicentre of the three day riots that began on 23 February, was paralysed due to severe communal violence over the controversial CAA. Arson, stone pelting, and the targeted killing of people belonging to the Hindu and Muslim communities scared the national capital which is now in the process of recovery.
CAA is law that paves the way for non-Muslim immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to secure Indian citizenship. The law is being termed "unconstitutional and against secular principles" of the country by opposition parties and rights groups, an allegation constantly denied by the federal government.
