INDIA bloc to hold nationwide protests on Dec 22 against suspension of MPs

The opposition INDIA bloc will be holding a  nationwide protest on December 22 against the recent suspensions of 141 MPs from the parliament. This was stated by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge today following a meeting of the allied parties.

“141 MPs being suspended is undemocratic. The issue we raised was not a wrong issue. We have been saying that Home Minister and Prime Minister should come to the House and brief the members of both the Houses,” Mr. Kharge said addressing a press conference.

This comes after the fourth meeting of the INDIA bloc where opposition leaders discussed various issues, including seat-sharing, a joint campaign blueprint and chalking out a strategy to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

During the press conference, the Congress chief said that there were seat sharing discussions in states, adding that conflicts between parties in certain states such as Punjab will be dealt with later.

Notably, the Opposition alliance will kickstart its joint campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on January 30, sources said.

Despite a kickstart on the seat sharing discussions, the Trinamool Congress has said that it wanted the seat sharing plan to be finalised by the end of the year, especially in West Bengal, as per sources. The Mamata Banerjee-led party also suggested that the Congress should contest nearly 300 seats in which it was in a direct fight with the BJP.

After the conclusion of the INDIA meeting, Kharge also stated the Opposition alliance will hold a protest against the suspension of MPs on December 22.

"This is the first time 151 members of the parliament have been suspended in the country. We will fight against this. This is wrong. We have united to fight against this. We have decided to hold a protest against the suspension of MPs on 22 December," he said.

The INDIA bloc meeting was earlier slated for December 6 but had to be postponed after several key leaders such as Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin and Arvind Kejriwal said they wouldn't be able to attend.

The fourth meeting is being held against the backdrop of 141 MPs from different Opposition parties being suspended from the House, the highest in a single session, for holding protests and raising slogans over the December 13 Lok Sabha security breach.