“Hamara washroom itna bhayanak hai,” said Jaya Bachchan.
New Delhi:
Amid a series of suspensions from Parliament, Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan pointed out a slightly different problem faced by opposition MPs who have not yet been suspended. “Hamara washroom itna bhayanak hai (our washrooms are terrible),” Ms Bachchan said after walking out of the Rajya Sabha in protest against the suspensions.
She also accused Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar of not letting her speak.
“We've been trying to talk since morning. The leader of the House said we will see how much patience you have “The toilets are terrible,” she told NDTV.
The actor-turned-politician also criticized the Center for trying to pass the draft laws without any discussion: “They are applying unfair and unjust measures. If you wanted to pass the bill, just do it like that. What's the point of saying “yes”? and no. Why this drama?”
The opposition benches in both houses looked deserted today as 49 members were suspended today, in addition to the 78 who faced the same action yesterday. 141 opposition MPs are currently suspended from parliament.
The latest round of suspensions came after opposition members, demanding Home Minister Amit Shah's response to the security breach in Lok Sabha on December 13, raised slogans and disrupted the House proceedings, which had been adjourned repeatedly since morning.
The opposition described the unprecedented move as a “murder of democracy” and claimed the government wanted an “opposition-less” parliament that would “kill” important legislation without debate.
Two other women Rajya Sabha MPs – Dola Sen of the Trinamool Congress and Priyanka Chaturvedi, leader of Shiv Sena (UBT) – also accompanied Ms Bachchan. They are the only women MPs who have not been suspended from the Rajya Sabha.
Giving reasons for her strike, Ms Chaturvedi said: “The Speaker said he was hurt that someone had mocked him while he was sitting on the steps of Parliament. We are also hurt that someone attacked the temple of democracy. Someone has to manage accountability.” The Home Secretary is the one who could do that. But it hurts us that he puts his ego above parliament.”
“It hurts us that they are suspending the protesting MPs, and it hurts us that they are resorting to pick-and-choice. We are hurt that bills are being passed without discussion or debate. With the suspension they have written a new history in the new parliament.” a record-breaking number of MPs. We hope the chairman also pays attention to our pain, which is why we walked out,” she added.
The Rajya Sabha chairman expressed pain over a suspended Trinamool MP imitating him during a protest rally at Parliament House.
After being suspended from Parliament, the leaders staged a protest on the steps of the building when Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee broke into an impromptu skit in which he mocked Vice President Dhankhar. Rahul Gandhi was seen recording the scene on his mobile phone, sparking a political controversy.
This triggered sharp reactions from the BJP with the Rajya Sabha Chairman himself terming the Opposition's actions as “shameful” and “insulting” to his background as a farmer and his “standing as a Jat”.