RECORD SUSPENSIONS POOR OPTICS FOR TEMPLE OF DEMOCRACY

THE suspension of a record 143 members of parliament who demanded a statement from the home minister on the recent Lok Sabha intrusion indicates a precipitous decline in the country's parliamentary democracy.

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Heavens would not have fallen had the government made a statement admitting the seriousness of the breach and that the members ought to wait for the reports of the probe panels set up by Speaker Om Birla and the home ministry. They said as much outside parliament while accusing the opposition of using it to derive political mileage. It shows how competitive our politics has become with the Lok Sabha elections just a few months away. When the winter session began, proceedings appeared normal for more than a week-except for Mahua Moitra's expulsion before the intruders struck. The nation has a right to seek accountability for the security breach, which