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News Desk: On Tuesday, TMC MP Derek O’Brien was suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remaining part of the Winter Session after he allegedly threw the rule book at the chair. The incident occurred during the passage of the electoral reforms bill in the House, after which Derek O’Brien staged a walkout.
The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021, passed in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday and in the Lok Sabha on Monday, seeks to link electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem. The bill was opposed by Opposition parties. Derek O’Brien spoke for two minutes on the bill before he walked out of the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
In response to his suspension from the House, the TMC Member of Parliament tweeted, “The last time I got suspended from the Rajya Sabha was when the government was bulldozing the farm laws. We all know what happened after that. Today, suspended while protesting against BJP making a mockery of Parliament and bulldozing Election Laws Bill, 2021. Hope this Bill too will be repealed soon”.
The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 seeks to weed out fake voters from electoral rolls. It will link electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem.
In Parliament, the opposition parties were demanding a division of votes as they had moved a motion to send the bill to a select committee, which was rejected by voice vote. The Opposition was of the opinion that the bill infringes on voters’ right to privacy.
When the bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha, members of Congress, TMC, Left parties, DMK and NCP walked out in protest.
