Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a Congressman, was expelled from the Lok Sabha for “repeated misconduct” over comments he made about Prime Minister Modi. Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP), has convened a meeting of the party’s Lok Sabha representatives today to consider the expulsion of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for “repeated misconduct” from the lower chamber. At 10.30 am, a meeting has been scheduled at the CPP office in the Parliament. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a Congress member, talks during the debate on the Motion of No-Confidence in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, August 10, 2023, in New Delhi, during the Monsoon session of Parliament.(PTI)
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a Congress member, talks during the debate on the Motion of No-Confidence in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, August 10, 2023, in New Delhi, during the Monsoon session of Parliament. (PTI) Pralhad Joshi, the minister for parliamentary affairs, filed a resolution calling for Chowdhury’s suspension on Thursday after the treasury benches expressed fury over several comments the Congress politician made about the prime minister during the discussion of the no-confidence vote. A voice vote was used to approve the resolution. Later, Chowdhury justified his comments, stating he hadn’t disparaged Prime Minister Modi. “Modi ji is ‘nirav’ing’, or being silent, on the Manipur issue. Nirav is Hebrew for silence. I didn’t mean to offend Prime Minister Modi, the Congressman remarked in the Lok Sabha.
“While PM Modi didn’t feel offended, his darbaris (courtiers) did, and they brought this proposal against me. I learned that (the matter) had been forwarded to the privileges committee and that I had been suspended pending their decision. The suspension was deemed “unfortunate” and a “utter violation of Article 105 (1) of the Constitution of India” by Congress MP Manish Tewari. He posted on X, saying that it “has profound implications for democracy & freedom of speech in Parliament & the legislatures.” “It is a flagrant violation of Article 105 (1) of the Indian Constitution, which states that freedom of speech is guaranteed in Parliament subject to the provisions of this constitution and the rules and standing orders governing its procedure.”
According to Tewari, “This is a fit case to challenge the suspension in an appropriate Court of Law.” Manickam Tagore, the whip for the Congress in the Lok Sabha, declared: “The largest opposition (party) leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury suspended for the first time for speaking against Modi. Unbelievable, Undemocratic, Criticize the autocracy. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Joshi said, “It has gotten exceedingly unfortunate for him (Adhir) and it has become a habit for him. The Congress Party, which is the main opposition party in this House, is led by him. Despite numerous warnings, he has not changed.
“He consistently makes these unfounded accusations in his debates and works to undermine the authority of the executive branch. His claims are unsupported by any evidence, and he never expresses regret. We also sought an apology from him today. When the home minister spoke, he behaved similarly, according to Joshi.
