Dr. Santanu Sen, a Rajya Sabha member from the Trinamool Congress, was today suspended from the House for the remainder of the monsoon session for snatching IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s statement on the Pegasus incident and tossing it amid yesterday’s commotion in Parliament.
Within minutes of V Muraleedharan, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, submitting a move on this, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu proclaimed his suspension.
“I move that Dr Santanu Sen, AITC, be suspended from the services of the House…for his unruly bhaviour, unbecoming of a member of Rajya Sabha, yesterday…” Mr Muraleedharan said in his motion.
Minutes after passing the motion, Chairman Naidu requested Dr Sen to leave the House. Amid protet by Trinamool MPs, he then adjourned the Rajya Sabha till 12.30 pm.
Later, several leaders of the opposition met Mr Naidu over the matter. They asked why the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs was allowed to speak and move the motion against Dr Sen when it was not listed in the business of the day.
Among those who met Mr Naidu were Jairam Ramesh, Tiruchi Shiva, Sukhendu Ray, and Anand Sharma.
Minister Vaishnaw was yesterday forced to cut short his statement on the Pegasus snooping row due to the uproar among opposition members. As soon he rose to speak, Dr Sen snatched his papers, tore them, and flung them at Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh.
This forced the minister to lay the paper on the table instead.
“Trinamool Congress has a culture of violence in West Bengal. They want to bring the same culture in Parliament. What kind of message they want to give to next generation of Parliamentarians?” Mr Vaishnaw said today when asked about yesterday’s incident.
Responding to him, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra said her party was happy the Bengal’s culture had entered Parliament, which was against the BJP and for democracy.
“When Amit Shah was Home Minister, he used all IPS officers to spy. He is now bringing that Gujarat model all over India now,” she said, hinting once again at the Pegasus row.
The controversy surrounds media reports of the alleged targeting of journalists, top opposition leaders, and others in India by unknown entities using Pegasus, a spyware manufactured by an Israeli company that sells its products only to governments and vetted state agencies.
