Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien was suspended from parliament for the rest of the Winter Session after he allegedly threw the rulebook and walked out.In a series of tweets, Mr O'Brien hit out at the government over his suspension."The last time I got suspended from RS was when the government was BULLDOZING farm laws. We all know what happened after that. Today, suspended while protesting against BJP making a mockery of parliament and BULLDOZING the Election Laws Bill 2021. Hope this Bill too will be repealed soon," Mr O'Brien tweeted. "After breaking every rule and precedent, BJP has the gall to give lectures about the Rule Book. Irony just died. (Only two people at the funeral) Guess who," he wrote.
Sushmita Dev, a Trinamool MP who recently switched from Congress, said suspending members of Parliament is the "new normal but then what else can we expect from a dictatorship. "The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which has been passed by both Houses, seeks to link electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem. The bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote amid a walkout by the opposition. The Lok Sabha passed the bill on Monday as the government ignored the opposition's demand to refer it to a standing committee.The government argument is that the bill will sieve fake voters, insisting that the Aadhaar card linking to electoral rolls would be voluntary. Union law minister Kiren Rijiju said that the bill has been discussed in detail with the Election Commission, and has been formulated by keeping in mind the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee.