8 Congress MPs suspended amid Lok Sabha uproar

Congress MPs, led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, protested outside Parliament on Tuesday after the Lok Sabha suspended eight party members for unruly conduct amid continued disruptions over references to former Army chief MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir.

The House suspended Manickam Tagore, Kiran Reddy, Prashant Padole, Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Gurjeet Aujla, S Venkat Raman and Dean Kuriakose following two consecutive days of chaos. The uproar erupted after Rahul Gandhi cited an article based on Naravane’s memoir that discussed the 2020 India-China standoff.

The controversy centres on an article published by Caravan magazine, which quoted Naravane’s account suggesting political indecision during the face-off with China. The book, originally slated for release in January 2024, was deferred after it failed to receive Army clearance. Naravane had said in October last year that the manuscript was still under review.

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Eight Congress MPs suspended after Lok Sabha standoff over Naravane memoir

On Monday, the Lok Sabha witnessed a prolonged stand-off as Speaker Om Birla invoked parliamentary rules to bar references to unauthorised material. He also reminded members that allegations against other MPs require prior notice and ruled that the issue did not relate to the discussion on the President’s address. Despite repeated interventions by the Chair and senior ministers, Gandhi persisted in raising the matter.

The issue resurfaced on Tuesday when Gandhi authenticated a copy of the article in the House, a procedural step required to vouch for a document’s accuracy. As disruptions continued, TDP MP Krishna Prasad Tenneti reprimanded opposition leaders for addressing the Chair informally, stressing decorum in Parliament.

Following the suspensions, Congress MPs staged a protest outside the Parliament building, condemning the action and accusing the government of stifling debate in the House.

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