Opposition demands expulsion of BJP MP who gave visitor pass to Lok Sabha intruders

Opposition leaders have demanded the expulsion of BJP MP Pratap Simha who issued a visitor pass to Sagar Sharma, one of the men who jumped into Lok Sabha chambers carrying gas canisters.

Opposition leaders have launched an attack on BJP MP Pratap Simha for issuing a visitor pass to the man who entered the Lok Sabha chambers on Wednesday carrying gas canisters. Simha issued a pass allowing one of the accused in the incident, Sagar Sharma, to the visitor's gallery.

Sharma was accompanied by another man, Manoranjan D, as they jumped down from the visitor's gallery and into the chambers, releasing yellow gas in the House.

Hours after the incident, Congress workers staged a protest outside Pratap Simha's office holding him responsible for the security breach in Lok Sabha. They also raised slogans against him.

According to sources, the BJP MP told Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that he issued the pass after Sagar Sharma's father, who is a resident of his Lok Sabha constituency, said the accused wanted to see the new Parliament building.

The Trinamool Congress also sought the expulsion of Pratap Simha, drawing a parallel with the expulsion of party leader Mahua Moitra as a Lok Sabha MP.

The party accused the BJP MP of putting the security of parliamentarians at risk and asked, "What is stopping him from getting expelled? Why should a similar treatment not be meted out to him? What gives him the right to continue as a Parliamentarian after jeopardising the safety of fellow MPs?"

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also demanded action against Pratap Simha and said he must be "held accountable" for issuing the visitor pass. She questioned how the two men -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- went pass all the security levels and entered the Lok Sabha carrying smoke cans.

She also demanded a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Priyanka Chaturvedi said she had raised the issue of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun threatening an attack on Parliament during the Zero Hour on Tuesday and demanded that cognisance should be taken. "If an Opposition leader is telling you something out of concern, it should be taken seriously. I didn't receive any reply nor was cognisance taken of the threat," she told ANI news agency.

She added, "As a concerned and diligent MP, I raised this issue on September 22 when a huge crowd was pouring in the visitor's gallery of the Rajya Sabha and political sloganeering took place there. I asked whether the people in the gallery were not briefed that they cannot take part during House proceedings. The intruders went through three levels of security."

The security breach on Wednesday happened on the day that Pannun said an attack would take place. It was the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack during which armed terrorists stormed the Parliament building.

Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha also questioned whether BJP MP Pratap Simha would be expelled for signing the visitor pass.

"The Nation Wants To Know: How did these intruders get in? How did they manage to smuggle spray cans where even a pen isn't allowed? What action is the government taking against the MP who allegedly signed on their visitor passes? Will he be expelled?" asked Raghav Chadha.

Published By:
chingkheinganbi mayengbam
Published On:
Dec 13, 2023