'Piyush Goyal said all Oppn RS MPs will be suspended before criminal laws bill comes': TMC claims devious ploy

The Trinamool Congress has levelled a serious accusation, claiming that the move to suspend members of the Opposition was a calculated move at the Narendra Modi government's behest to ensure the smooth passage of the criminal law Bills. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Rajya Sabha MP from TMC Saket Gokhale claimed that Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal told him that Opposition MPs will be suspended before the Union Home Minister Amit Shah comes to Rajya Sabha to table the criminal law Bills.

He posted on X, "I HATE to disclose a private informal conversation but this is what happened yesterday & it’s devious. I asked @PiyushGoyal why the small bunch of us remaining INDIA MPs weren’t being suspended in the Rajya Sabha despite protesting in the well. Because 46 of our INDIA colleagues got instantly suspended for the same thing a day earlier. He says “Because if there’s zero Opposition MPs left, it looks bad for us.” But then he added - “Don’t worry, you’ll all be suspended before @AmitShah ji comes to Rajya Sabha to table the criminal law Bills”. This is what our Parliament has now become reduced to under Modi’s orders."

Both Piyush Goyal and the BJP are yet to respond to the allegations.

The suspension of 141 Members of Parliament (MPs), comprising 95 from the Lok Sabha and 46 from the Rajya Sabha, ensued after a commotion regarding the opposition's request for a statement from Union Minister Amit Shah on a security breach incident in the Parliament premises. The incident involved a man driving his car into the complex and claiming to have explosives.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge declared a nationwide protest scheduled for December 22 in response to the suspension of the 141 MPs, citing their demand for Amit Shah's statement on the security breach. Kharge emphasized the undemocratic nature of the suspensions and affirmed their commitment to safeguarding democracy. He reiterated the opposition's plea for either Union Home Minister Amit Shah or Prime Minister Modi to address the Parliament on the security breach issue, a request that has thus far been declined.

The Three Bill on Criminal Laws

The government has presented three bills in Parliament aiming to replace the existing British-era criminal laws, considering the absence of a significant number of Opposition MPs in Lok Sabha. Introduced in August, the three bills — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — aim to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1898; the Indian Penal Code, 1860; and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, respectively.

After being referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee, which witnessed the addition of dissent notes from several opposition members, the initial bills were withdrawn. Subsequently, during the winter session, revised versions of the bills were reintroduced, incorporating suggestions made by the panel.

Recently withdrawn again, the updated bills have been introduced in the lower house, now named the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023; the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023; and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023.

From limited access to no allowance... 5 restrictions on suspended MPs

NDA MPs stand for an hour in Rajya Sabha in Vice President Dhankhar's honour