Lok Sabha Suspensions Revoked: MPs Welcome Return of 8 Opposition Members

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday welcomed the development, describing it as a "very good development" that marks the end of what he called a "sad spectacle".

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Tharoor noted that the sight of colleagues sitting on the steps daily, unable to participate in House proceedings, was a situation that "hurts our democracy".

"It's a very good development that this sad spectacle of eight of our colleagues sitting on the steps every day suspended, unable to participate, that has been ended...Whatever mistakes of judgement or behaviour they may have made to keep them out of the House is something that hurts our democracy," he said, expressing hope that "assurances of good behaviour on both sides" would be upheld to ensure the smooth functioning of the House".

Echoing a similar sentiment, Congress MP Priyanka Vadra Gandhi said that the Central government, along with the opposition parties, should maintain the dignity of the House. "This is a good thing. It should happen from both sides," she said.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Ravi Kishan emphasised that the parliament should "function with love", and personal comments should not be made in the "biggest Panchayat" in the nation.

"This is the biggest Panchayat in the country, such a big temple, it should function with love...This is a battle of ideas, and there should be arguments. The public sends us here to talk about their problems, and there should be no personal comments here."

BJP MP Arun Govil hoped that the opposition MPs keep the decorum of the House, stating that "only two or three things that must be kept in mind" to do so.

"The decorum of the House must be maintained. The decorum of the House must be observed. There are only two or three things that must be kept in mind... If they (opposition MPs) can do this, it would be a very good thing... I hope the opposition understands this and will respect the decorum of the House," he told ANI.

This comes after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla revoked the suspension of eight opposition MPs after Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved a motion in the lower house of Parliament.

The eight opposition MPs - Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, Dean Kuriakose, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, B Manickam Tagore, Dr. Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and S Venkatesan- paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi inside the Parliament complex after their suspension was revoked.

After Rijiju moved the motion in the lower house, Congress Chief Whip K Suresh expressed regret for the "inadvertent indiscretion" by some of the members.

Follwing the motion today, the opposition MPs are allowed to participate in the ongoing parliamentary proceedings.

The eight opposition members were suspended from Lok Sabha for the remainder of the budget session on February 4 for violating rules and "throwing papers on the chair" following uproar in the House over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's insistence on mentioning a specific reference about the border tensions with China in eastern Ladakh in 2020.

- ANI