It is important to recall why the suspensions took place at all. After the December 13 Parliament security breach, when two men procured entry passes, courtesy a BJP Member of Parliament, and fooled the Modi government's Parliament security to enter the Visitors’ Gallery of the Lok Sabha with smoke canisters tucked in their shoes.

The men jumped into the Lok Sabha from the Visitor’s Gallery and in the ensuing chaos made a mess of the Lok Sabha's aura with the canisters billowing yellow smoke. It was unprecedented. It happened the same day when 22 years ago armed Pakistani terrorists almost shot their way into Parliament.

This time, after the breach by Indians unhappy with the Modi government's job creating abilities, the Opposition has been demanding a statement on the security breach from Union Home Minister Amit Shah but Mr. Shah wasn’t to be seen anywhere near Parliament. So no Home Minister, and no Home Minister statement. The opposition MPs kept up their protests and then came the punishment — a string of suspensions.

This despite the demand for the Home Minister's statement being reasonable and valid. The MPs have the right to demand accountability. The Home Minister was at a media conclave where he made some random remarks on the incident, angering the MPs further and on December 18, thirteen Lok Sabha MPs and one Rajya Sabha MP were suspended. More suspensions followed in the next few days. Again, unprecedented.

This heavy-handed approach was typical of the Modi government, which has repeatedly displayed its contempt for the Opposition and for the norms of parliamentary conduct. The use of “suspensions” by the presiding officers at the behest of the ruling party has been growing rapidly since 2014.

As many as 92 MPs have been suspended at various times till this latest parliamentary session. Of these, 23 were suspended during the 2022 Monsoon Session. That number has grown manifold. In fact, the Modi government passed important legislations like the three criminal law bills without the Opposition being given its Constitution-given right to dissent.

Removing an MP from Parliament through suspension is not only suppressing the voice of the member, it is also depriving the people, who elected the MP, their right to representation in the House.

The attack on the Opposition is only one part of the overall effort to denigrate and curtail Parliament. We have seen how legislations are passed hastily without due process and scrutiny of parliamentary committees. Within parliamentary committees, too, discussions and dissenting voices are routinely stymied. The number of sittings of Parliament is progressively getting reduced. The Prime Minister himself is mostly found MIA.

The new Parliament Building signaled an ominous turn. It was not just a change of building, but the life and essence of Parliament also changed with the change of building. The snarling Ashoka Lions atop the new Parliament and the 'Sengol' within radically altered Parliament into a rubber stamp for the ruling party. What we are witnessing is India’s passage from parliamentary democracy to electoral autocracy. (IPA Service)