PM, BJP want to establish 'single party rule' in country: Mallikarjun Kharge on suspension of 141 MPs

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Pic/PTI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday charged that the prime minister and the BJP want to establish a "single party rule" in the country and the suspension of MPs from Parliament is for that, reported news agency PTI.

While 141 MPs have been suspended because they wanted a statement from the home minister on the grave security breach in Parliament, the BJP MP who facilitated the entry of the intruders, remains scot-free and has not yet been questioned, the Congress leader said.

"What sort of an investigation is this," he asked in a statement posted on X.

"Why haven't senior officers responsible for Parliamentary security made accountable? Heads should have rolled by now," he said.

Kharge said apparently the intruders have been planning this since months and asked who is responsible for this massive intelligence failure.

Given the multi-layered security of Parliament, how did two intruders manage to hide yellow gas canisters in their shoes and enter the building and almost reach the sanctum sanctorum of India's democracy, the Congress chief wondered.

"The prime minister and his party want to establish a 'single party rule' in the country. They talk of 'Ek Akela' which is akin to demolishing democracy.This is precisely what they have done by suspending Opposition MPs," Kharge said in the post.

"Instead of punishing the people in high ranks for this shameful security lapse, they have snatched away the democratic rights of MPs, thereby escaping accountability," the Congress president said.

The Congress and other opposition parties have been agitating against the suspension of their MPs and have been disrupting Parliament proceedings, demanding a statement from the home minister on the issue of security breach, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi alleged the government was "strangulating democracy" by suspending MPs over a legitimate demand and said the Congress has its task cut out for next year's general elections both as a party and as INDIA bloc member.

Noting that the assembly election results being very disappointing is an understatement, the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson urged party MPs to channel their disappointment into a positive drive for next year's general elections.

This was the first time that Sonia Gandhi spoke on the recent assembly poll results.

(With inputs from PTI)