Suspension of 25 Congress members from Lok Sabha brought together several opposition parties who boycotted the Lower House and paralysed the Rajya Sabha today besides staging a joint protest in the Parliament House complex. Congress, Trinamool Congress, JD(U), Muslim League and NCP boycotted the proceedings of Lok Sabha and members of the Left, SP and RJD walked out soon after the House met as a mark of solidarity with the MPs suspended for five working days by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan yesterday for causing disruptions. In the Rajya Sabha, Congress and several other opposition parties created pandemonium over the issue, leading to a washout of the day's proceedings. Outside, Congress MPs, led by party President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, staged a sit-in near Mahatma Gandhi's statue along with leaders of SP, RJD and AAP. The opposition benches in the Lok Sabha wore a deserted look as the House conducted its listed business for the day and passed the Railways Appropriations Bill 2015. This was despite Tathagata Satpathy (BJD) making a strong plea against taking up any legislative business in the absence of the several opposition including Congress. "I would request that while the government is troubled with the proceedings in the House and while we admire your perseverence and your patience in dealing with the situation which has troubled the whole country, we would request you to decrease the punishment that you have meted out to the opposition," he said. Satpathy underlined that "in parliamentary democracy, opposition is a part of the process. So, no government business should take place without the presence of the opposition."
