New Delhi [India], August 10 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mohammed Nadimul Haque on Monday submitted a notice under Rule 267 (Notice of Motion for Suspension of rules) in the Rajya Sabha, demanding the suspension of all listed business for today to urgently debate the alleged political violence in West Bengal, an attack on party chief Mamata Banerjee's convoy, and the alleged police action against protesting students in the national capital.
The TMC also demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah appear before Parliament to address repeated security lapses and a "rapidly shrinking space for democratic dissent".
In the notice, Haque requested the Upper House to apply Rule 267 to discuss atrocities against students who protested at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and in Bihar.
"Students who were protesting peacefully against exam paper leaks faced brutal attacks by men in uniform. Sticks embedded with nails, tear gas, stun batons, pellet guns, and even AK-47 guns were used against them," he said.
He also urged an urgent discussion on the attack on former West Bengal Chief Minister's convoy. The attack allegedly took place when Banerjee was on her way to meet the grieving family of a Trinamool Congress worker who died in police custody.
"Yesterday's barbaric attack on her convoy, while she was on her way to meet the grieving family of a Trinamool Congress worker who died in police custody, is not merely an attack on one political leader. It is an attack on the democratic values enshrined in the Constitution of India," he said.
He said that the space for democratic dissent is rapidly shrinking in India. There are increasing attempts to muzzle political or ideological differences through threats, intimidation and violence. It is not just limited to Opposition leaders. Ordinary citizens are also being targeted simply for raising their voices.
Targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said, "These incidents reveal how dissent in today's India is answered with savage force, and any who question the establishment are treated as enemies of the state. The Home Minister must come to Parliament and answer for the repeated lapses in security and deteriorating law and order situation across the country."
Meanwhile, the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which began on July 20, is scheduled to continue till August 13, with a total of 19 sittings during the period.