"Democracy Has Been Strangulated": Sonia Gandhi On Suspension Of 141 MPs

In a scathing response to the suspension of 141 Opposition MPs, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said "democracy has been strangulated by this government" for raising a "perfectly reasonable and legitimate demand".

"Democracy has been strangulated by this government. Never before have so many Opposition Members of Parliament been suspended from the house, and that too, simply for raising a perfectly reasonable and legitimate demand," Mrs Gandhi said at the Congress Parliamentary Party today.

She said the Opposition MPs had only asked for a statement by the Home Minister on the "extraordinary events" of December 13, when two intruders trespassed into the Lok Sabha chamber and set off coloured smoke in a massive security breach. "There are no words to describe the arrogance with which this request was treated," she said.

A total of 141 Opposition MPs from the two Houses have been suspended over the past week after they held protests demanding the Home Minister's statement. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has maintained that security in the House comes under the purview of the secretariat and that he will not let the government intervene in the matter.