Rajya Sabha: Discussion Over TMC Member Derek O’Brien’s Suspension Pending After Spat With Chair on Manipur Issue – News18

A discussion over TMC leader Derek O’Brien is currently pending in the Rajya Sabha following his spat with the Chair over the Manipur issue earlier today.

TMC leader Derek O’Brien on Tuesday was suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the rest of the Monsoon session after he disobeyed Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar during the proceedings. The TMC leader, while trying to seek a discussion over the Manipur issue, ended up irking the Chair, leading to his suspension.

Derek O’Brien sought to speak under the pretext of raising a point of order and when the Speaker asked him to point to the rule he wanted to speak on, he said 267, the rule under which the opposition has been demanding a discussion on the Manipur violence since the beginning of the Monsoon session on July 20.

The TMC leader’s statement infuriated the chairman, who said he is naming O’Brien.

According to the rules, an MP named by the chair has to withdraw from the proceedings of the House for the day.

“This is too serious a matter for me to be overruled. After deep, immediate deliberation, I did not take the sense of the House earlier. If I had really fructified the process, Derek O’Brien would have been out of the House. In my wisdom, I thought I must not take it to that conclusion at that point in time,” said the Chair.

The Monsoon session of Parliament will end on August 11.