Newsroom24x7 Staff

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today suspended for five days 25 members of the main opposition Congress for causing grave disorder and persistently obstructing the House proceedings.

The suspension of the Congress members, who were named by the Speaker, came after they came to tghe well carrying placards and shouting slogans to demand the resignation of Foreign Minister Sushma Swarj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on the issue of Cricket tycoon Lalit Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister shivraj Singh Chouhana over the VYAPAM scam. The VYAPAM scam case now being handled by the CBU on Supreme Court orders relates to massive irregularities in medical entrance examination and recruitment of government employees by the State Professional examination Board also called the “Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal (VYAPAM)

The Speaker said that she has ben forced to take tough action against the Congress MPs as they were “persistently, wilfully obstructing the House”. The Speaker adjourned the House for the day after announcing the suspension. Thereafter, the agitated Congress MPs went for a sit-in protest in the House.

The suspended members stand barred from attending five sittings of the House. Congress has 44 members in all. Mahajan adjourned the House immediately after. However, a number of the Congress members staged a sit-in in the House.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has described it as a black day for democracy. Extending support and committing solidarity with the Congress, Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have decided to boycott the Lok sabha for next five days.

Earlier today, Prime Minioster Narendra Modi had called an all-party meeting but it failed to end the stalemate over the Congress demand for the resignation Ms.Swaraj, Ms. Vasundhara Raje and Mr. Chouhan as the Congress made it very clear that it was not ready to concede its demand.