TMC’s Derek O’Brien suspended from RS

New Delhi: TMC member Derek O’Brien was on Thursday suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remaining part of the Winter Session for his “unruly behaviour” and “misconduct” in the House.

Soon after the House assembled at noon after an initial adjournment, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar named O’Brien and warned him against disrupting the House proceedings and raising slogans in utter disregard of the directions of the Chair.

The Chairman had earlier named O’Brien in the morning for his “unruly behaviour” and had asked him to leave the House. But he remained inside the House.

Accusing O’Brien of violating the directions of the chair and for disrupting the proceedings of the House, the chairman allowed Leader of the House Piyush Goyal to move a motion in this regard.

The motion was adopted with a voice vote and the chairman announced that O’Brien stands suspended from the House for the remainder of the session. Dhankhar then adjourned the proceedings till 2 PM as members of the opposition protested the suspension.

“Gross defiance to directions imparted by the chair was noticed when Derek O’Brien despite being named and directions being given to withdraw from the Council immediately continued to not only remain in the chamber but should slogans, gesticulated aggressively. Such gross misconduct on the part of Derek O’Brien cannot be countenanced. I again name Derek O’Brien under Rule 256 for violating the directions of the House,” the chairman said soon after the House met.

Reading out the motion, Goyal said the House has taken a serious note of the “misconduct” of Derek O’Brien, who entered the well of the House and has been continuously shouting slogans and disrupting the proceedings of the House in utter disregard to the authority of the Chair.

Putting the motion to vote, the Chair said the same has been adopted with a voice vote.