Sharad Pawar urges RS chairman Dhankhar to probe into parliament security breach & MP suspensions

Sharad Pawar/PTI

On Tuesday, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar pleaded with Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to look into the recent security lapse in Parliament and to step in to stop MPs being suspended.

"I would request you to kindly address this matter in the interest of upholding the integrity of the parliamentary processes and precedents and the democratic values," said Pawar in a letter to Dhankhar

Pawar emphasised the significance of preserving democratic norms and the integrity of parliamentary procedures in a letter to Dhankhar. About the December 13 parliament security breach, in which people leaked yellow smoke from canisters after leaping from the public gallery in Lok Sabha, Pawar said the occurrence was extremely concerning, especially in light of the terrorist attack that same day in 2001, stated a report in PTI.

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"It is extremely concerning, especially in the light of the terrorist attack that happened on that very day in 2001. Given the severity of the incident, it is but natural that the Members of Parliament would seek a clarification regarding the same and the government should have been forthcoming with a statement as to how it intended to address the issue. It is disheartening that not only has the government distanced itself from such a statement but has taken the action of suspending Members of Parliament seeking explanation/statement regarding the same," the letter he penned was quoted in the PTI report.

According to the report, Pawar expressed concerns over the event and emphasised that Parliamentarians should ask the government for explanations on the security breach. He pointed out that the government had not released a statement on the matter and claimed that it went against accountability and transparency principles to suspend Members of Parliament who were asking for explanations.

Pawar underlined that members of parliament had a right to ask questions to protect the parliamentary system, which is a vital component of the nation's democracy. He drew attention to the irony of the over ninety-nine suspended Members of Parliament (including about forty-five from the Rajya Sabha) who refrained from participating in disruptions or penetrating the House well, the report added.

"It is an irony that more than 90 members of Parliament seeking statement from the Government have been suspended, around 45 being from the Rajya Sabha. I am also given to understand that some members who did not enter the well and give slogans and were not involved in the 'continuous' disruption too have been named in the list of those suspended," he wrote.

In the letter, Pawar urged Dhankhar to resolve the issue to protect democratic ideals and the integrity of legislative proceedings, given the gravity of the security breach and the suspensions that followed, the letter further read.

"Realising the seriousness and gravity of the issue of attack and then the suspension that followed, I would request you to kindly address this matter in the interest of upholding the integrity of the parliamentary processes and precedents and the democratic values," said Pawar in the letter to Dhankhar.