2/3rd of INDIA bloc MPs suspended; Opposition strength diminishes in LS

The number of MPs from the INDIA bloc has whittled down to 43 from 138 in the Lok Sabha after the mass suspension of MPs in this winter session of Parliament.

After 49 Opposition MPs were suspended on Tuesday (December 19) taking the total tally of suspended MPs in the Lok Sabha to 95, the INDIA alliance has lost more than two-thirds of its members in the Lok Sabha.

Only nine MPs of the principal Opposition Congress, including former party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, are left in the House.

The INDIA bloc parties had a strength of 138 in Lok Sabha, and out of this number, only 43 MPs are left in the House.

INDIA bloc MPs have been protesting in the House to press for a statement from Union home minister Amit Shah on the security breach in Parliament on December 13.

Suspension of MPs from Opposition parties

Congress' floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Trinamool Congress' floor leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay are among those suspended. So far, 13 of the 22 Trinammol Congress MPs have been suspended. From the DMK, which has a strength of 24 members in the House, 16 MPs have been suspended.

Aam Aadmi Party's lone Lok Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Rinku was also suspended.

Among other INDIA bloc parties, three Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MPs belonging to the Sharad Pawar faction, including floor leader Supriya Sule, have been suspended out of the four who are supporting the Opposition.

From the National Conference, two of the three MPs, including Farooq Abdullah, were suspended.

None of the six MPs of Shiv Sena (UBT) have been suspended.

All three MPs of the Indian Union Muslim League, lone MPs from VCK and RSP, two of the three Samajwadi Party MPs, including Dimple Yadav, two of three MPs of the CPI(M), and one of the two MPs of CPI have also been suspended.

Danish Ali, who was recently suspended from the BSP for supporting Mahua Moitra in the cash-for-query case, is also among the MPs suspended from the Lower House. The BSP, however, is not a part of the Opposition bloc.

(With inputs from agencies)