Centre calls 4 parties for meeting instead of all over 12 suspended MPs, Derek O'Brien calls it Monday morning Stunt

Rajya Sabha MP and Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien on Sunday slammed the Centre for calling only four parties for a meeting instead of all Opposition parties for a discussion on 12 suspended MPs and termed the episode as a 'Monday Morning Stunt'.

"Monday morning STUNT from a government who do not want Parliament to function. Government calls leaders of the four Opposition parties whose 12 Rajya Sabha MPs have been arbitrarily suspended. Government leaves other 10 Opposition parties out. Failed stunt. ALL OPPN clear: first revoke arbitrary suspension," tweeted Brien.

The Congress, Trinamool, Shiv Sena and CPIM have been invited for the meeting.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday questioned the Centre's move to call only four parties whose members in the Rajya Sabha have been suspended instead of all Opposition parties.

In a letter today addressed to Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, Kharge said, "I have received your letter of December 19th (7:10 PM) asking leaders of the four parties whose members in the Rajya Sabha have been suspended, to a meeting to be taken by Piyush Goyal and you at 10 AM tomorrow."

"All Opposition parties are united in the protest against the suspension of the 12 MPs. We have been requesting from the evening of November 29th itself that either the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha or the Leader of the House Piyush Goyal should call leaders of all Opposition parties for a discussion to break the stalemate," the Congress leader said.

"This reasonable request of ours has not been agreed to. Further inviting only leaders of four Opposition parties instead of inviting leaders of all Opposition parties is unfair and unfortunate," he said.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned on Friday with an announcement from the Chair to meet at 11 am on Monday, citing a decision taken in a meeting held earlier in the day with the government and opposition leaders.

A meeting was held earlier on Friday to find a solution regarding the uproar created in the House by the Opposition parties in previous days.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu made the announcement soon after the House assembled for the day at 11 am and papers were laid on the table as well as government mentioned the business for next week.

Naidu said it was discussed in the meeting to find a solution to the issue being raised by the Opposition parties and maintain peace and smooth functioning during House proceedings.Subsequently, the Rajya Sabha Chairman adjourned the House till 11 am on December 20.

In previous days the House faced disruption on various issues, especially over the revocation of suspension of 12 MPs.

In a move that angered the Opposition and set the stage for acrimonious exchanges, a dozen members of Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha were suspended from the winter session on the very first day on Monday following a motion brought in by the government.

The members were suspended for alleged unruly conduct towards the end of the monsoon session in August when marshals were called after Opposition members stormed the Well of the House during the passage of the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021.

The suspended members comprise six from the Congress, two each from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from CPI and CPM: Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, Ripun Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Nasir Hussain and Akhilesh Prasad Singh of Congress; Dola Sen, Shanta Chhetri of Trinamool Congress; Priyanka Chaturvedi, Anil Desai of Shiv Sena; Elamaram Kareem of CPM; and, Binoy Viswam of CPI.

( With inputs from ANI )

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