Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, defended his fellow party member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was suspended from the Lower House of Parliament. Kharge explained that Chowdhury only mentioned “Nirav Modi” and pointed out that “Nirav” means “quiet” in Hindi. He raised his concerns with Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, questioning the suspension on these grounds.
Kharge highlighted that Chowdhury holds positions in various parliamentary committees and argued that suspending him would be harmful. He urged the vice president and the House Chairman to protect democracy and emphasized the weak reasoning behind the suspension.
Chowdhury’s suspension is pending an assessment of his conduct by the privileges committee. The suspension resolution was introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi after Chowdhury repeatedly interrupted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response to the no-confidence motion debate.
In response, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned until noon on Friday due to opposition protests against Chowdhury’s suspension. Congress deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi raised the issue of Chowdhury’s suspension for “repeated misconduct,” and several Congress members expressed their support for him.
Although the Speaker initiated the Question Hour, the proceedings were adjourned within a minute of the House’s commencement for the day. The Monsoon session of Parliament, which started on July 20, is set to conclude on Friday.
