Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh on street, Rahul Gandhi says this will get bigger

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The Congress has decided to boycott the Lok Sabha for the rest of the week. Buoyed by support from many parties — notable exceptions being the YSR Congress, the AIADMK and the TRS —  Congress members from both Houses sat in protest for nearly an hour near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Parliament complex.

Some wore black ribbons, some even aprons, and many waved black flags. Samajwadi Party, NCP and RJD MPs joined them. “Down with Narendra Modi! We want justice! Shame on you dictator!” chanted the Congress MPs.

“The way they have suspended our members, it is anti-democratic. In my view, it is murder of democracy,” Sonia said. Rahul said, “Our 25 MPs are a symbol. What was meted out to the 25 MPs is being meted out to the whole of Hindustan. They are doing this with college students, Internet and institutions. They have done it with farmers.”

He mocked the government for climbing down on land bill. “They made a lot of noise, threatened, shouted and now turned back and ran away,” he said. “On the issue of corruption, on the issue of Vyapam, on the issue of the Rajasthan Chief Minister and on Sushma Swaraj, we will not let up even if they throw us all out of Parliament and not let us enter Parliament… We will mount an offensive across the country,” he said.

Manmohan Singh said suspension was no way of resolving the issue. “We are fully justified in demanding that these ministers should be asked to submit their resignations,” Singh said.

Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the suspension was a “big black blot on democracy”.