Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, on Friday defended fellow Lok Sabha whip Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was suspended from the lower house of Parliament on Thursday, claiming that he only said “Nirav Modi and Nirav means ‘shaant’ (calm in Hindi )”. “Adhir Ranjan only said Nirav Modi. Nirav means ‘shaant’ (quiet), silent,” Mallikarjun Kharge told Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge speaks in the House during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.
“He only said Nirav Modi. Nirav means ‘shaant’ (quiet), silent and he was suspended for that? Kharge told Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.
“…He was suspended on a flimsy ground… I am asking the Vice President and the Speaker of the House that you must protect democracy because he (Adhir) is on the Public Accounts Committee, also on the Trade Advisory Committee and CBC selection. He has been stripped of all these institutions and if he is suspended, it is not good,” said Kharge.
Chowdhury was suspended from the House while the Privileges Committee investigated his conduct.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday night moved a resolution to suspend Chowdhury after the Congress leader repeatedly interrupted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was responding to the debate on the no-confidence motion.
On Friday, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon due to opposition protests against Chowdhury’s suspension.
As the House met, Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi raised the issue of Chowdhury’s expulsion from the House for “repeated misconduct” on Thursday evening.
Several Congress members were also on their feet and heard telling Speaker Om Birla that Chowdhury had always worked with the Speaker.
The Speaker called for question time, but adjourned the proceedings within a minute of the House calling for the day. The monsoon session of Parliament, which began on July 20, ends on Friday.
Ahead of the parliamentary session, opposition leaders of the INDIA alliance met at 10 am to discuss the Congress leader’s suspension and discuss the way forward, sources said.
They also decided on the strategy for the way forward in the Rajya Sabha, where their demand for a discussion on Manipur was not accepted.
Read Now:All about ‘Sponge Cities’ and why they don’t stop floods in China
