Congress MP Rajani Patil suspended from RS for filming House proceedings

Rajani Ashokrao Patil, a Congress MP, has been suspended from the Rajya Sabha on Friday for the remainder of the Budget session for parliamentary misconduct.

The suspension followed the Congress MP's tweet of a video from within the House showing Opposition MPs protesting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to the Motion of Thanks on Thursday. Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar took a "serious view" about the matter, calling it "unwholesome activity" on her side.

"In public domain yesterday, on Twitter, there was a dissemination of a video relating to proceedings of this House…Rajani Ashokrao Patil engaged in this unwholesome activity, and what has been seen is a matter that must engage our attention," Dhankhar said.

The Privileges Committee will look into the matter, and Patil will be suspended until the committee's report is submitted. Dhankhar said that the matter will not be handed over to any outside agency to keep the Parliament's sanctity.

"The entire matter will be probed by the Privileges Committee, and till we have the benefit of the recommendation of the Privileges Committee for consideration of this august House, Patil is suspended for the current session," he said.

Earlier in the day, as PM Modi was speaking on the Motion of Thanks, Chairman Dhankhar asked leaders of all political parties to express their views on the matter of filming House proceedings. A motion to suspend Patil was adopted for the remaining part of the ongoing Budget session.