We won't apologise, asserts CPI MP Binoy Viswam hours after being suspended from Rajya Sabha

Political turbulence over 12 suspended Rajya Sabha MPs continues as Rajya Sabha MP and Communist Party of India leader Binoy Viswam on Tuesday asserted that he will not apologize to the government for his alleged "misconduct" in the Parliament.

Speaking to ANI, Viswam said, "We were suspended for no fault. We did not commit a crime. We did not do anything wrong. We, in the Parliament were trying to raise concerns of the people of this country. In my opinion, the Parliament is meant for raising people's issues. The people concerns and sorrows are to be reflected. We were objecting to the insurance bill, banking bills, farming laws, government approach on Pegasus."

"If we do not fulfill that purpose, why are we here? All these are the people's concerns. In my belief and faith, the people concerns are to be made here in the parliament. We tried that, but the government does not believe in democratic norms and tries to silence us out. They are trying to kill the spirit of dissent, discussion and debate of the House. They are trying to punish us and they are asking us whether we are ready to apologise. Our reply to that is we will never apologise because we have not done a mistake," Viswam said.

"To apologise is the 'heritage of the BJP and Savarkar'. We learned politics not in the school of Savarkar. It is their tradition and they are asking us whether we will follow that suit. How can we? We can never become the ideological or political followers of Savarkar's style of political doing. We will be in front of the Gandhi statue from tomorrow morning from 10 o'clock onwards," he said.

On Monday, 12 members were suspended for alleged unruly conduct towards the end of the monsoon session in August when marshals were called after Opposition members stormed the well of the House during the passage of the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021.

The suspended members comprise six from the Congress, two each from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from CPI and CPM: Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, Ripun Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Nasir Hussain and Akhilesh Prasad Singh of Congress; Dola Sen, Shanta Chhetri of Trinamool Congress; Priyanka Chaturvedi, Anil Desai of Shiv Sena; Elamaram Kareem of CPM; and, Binoy Viswam of CPI.

( With inputs from ANI )