9 State Elections To Biggest Mass Suspension In Parliament History — Revisiting Tumultuous 2023

The year 2023 will go down in history as one of the most politically turbulent years for the Parliamentary Opposition in India. The year saw a few surprises and a lot of shocks. But what did not disappoint the nation’s popcorn-munching audience glued to their phone screens was the generous dose of controversy.

From Rahul Gandhi’s suspension to the biggest mass suspension in the history of India’s Parliament — the year has been hard on primarily the Opposition. The Opposition has had little to celebrate, with the only major electoral success coming for Congress from Karnataka and Telangana. 

The year also saw a rare political event, one in which the CPI-M, the TMC, and the Congress, along with other major Opposition parties, shared the stage as part of an alliance — Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or I.N.D.I.A.

Let’s take a look at the major political developments throughout the year.

JANUARY

Brij Bhushan Singh – WFI Controversy 

The political arena erupted this year with the Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh sexual controversy when the BJP MP from UP’s Kaierganj was accused of sexual harassment by young women athletes. Prominent wrestlers of India like Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malick, and Vinesh Phogat, launched massive protests demanding Singh’s resignation as the Wrestling Federation of India’s president.

Opposition parties, like the Aam Aadmi Party, te Congress, the TMC, the DMK, and the CPI-M extended their support to the wrestlers. Leaders from the ruling BJP, like Maneka Gandhi and Anil Vij, too, extended support to the protesting wrestlers. An inquiry by an oversight committee is still pending.

Brij Bhushan Eventually had to resign and his aide Sanjay Singh was elected to the post, for which the wrestlers again began a protest. The sexual harassment case against Brij Bhushan will be heard by a new judge on January 4.

FEBRUARY

Manish Sisodia’s Arrest

The biggest setback for the AAP came in February when Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested in the excise policy case. The Enforcement Directorate charged Sisodia with framing the now-scrapped excise policy in a manner that facilitated the channelling of illegal funds to the AAP and its leaders. The policy allegedly allowed the “cartelisation” of the alcohol sale sector in Delhi, favouring only a few liquor traders.

Sisodia was also charged under sections of the PMLA for allegedly accepting bribes. Sisodia was arrested on February 26 and he, along with party colleague Satyendar Jain who was arrested last year, resigned from his Cabinet post.

MARCH

BJP’s Triumph In Northeast Elections

The BJP retained power in all the three northeastern states that went to elections in February — Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland. While in Tripura, the saffron party emerged as the single-largest party, in the other two it formed the governments as part of alliances.

The triple win (including alliances) cemented BJP’s position in the northeast as a formidable party outside Assam. With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections around the corner, the BJP will be glad to have a significant presence in the northeast as the region sends 25 MPs (including Sikkim) to Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Dis’Qualification’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP on March 24, following his conviction by a Gujarat Court in a 2019 defamation case. The court found him guilty of ‘defaming the Modi community’ when he said at an election rally in April 2019: “Why do all thieves, be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi or Narendra Modi, have Modi in their names?”

The disqualification sent shockwaves down the ranks of the Congress as his candidature in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls came under doubt. Rahul Gandhi even had to vacate his official bungalow in Delhi due to the move. However, a Supreme Court order in August stayed his conviction and he was reinstated as the Wayanad MP.

APRIL

Atique Ahmed Assassination

Gangster-turned-politician Atique Ahmed was shot dead in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. The assassination was carried out in police custody by three gunmen while he was being taken for a medical check-up. His brother, Ashraf Ahmed, was also shot dead along with him.

The assassinations of the former Samajwadi Party legislator and his brother were caught on live television. The incident gave the Opposition a chance to attack the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in UP, raising questions over the law & order situation in the state. The Congress alleged that this was a case of “subversion of the legal system and the judicial process”.

MAY

Manipur Violence Takes Centrestage

Ethnic violence in Manipur breaks out between the Kuki-Zo and Metei communities in Manipur, giving rise to a long political battle between the BJP and the Opposition. The violence between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities of Manipur has claimed over 170 lives (official estimates) so far.

The Opposition demanded a statement from PM Narendra Modi in Parliament on the issue and sought Manipur CM N Biren Singh’s resignation. However, the statement from PM Modi came only on August 10, a day before the Monsoon session of Parliament ended. The issue gained momentum as the year progressed and is still waiting to see a complete resolution.

Congress’s Consolation In Karnataka

The Congress, which seemed to have been decimated in the tri-state elections in the Northeast in February, got a taste of victory in May in the South. In the Karnataka elections, the Grand Old Party trumped the BJP, winning a landslide victory with 135 of the 224 seats. This was Congress’s biggest win in the southern state in 34 years.

JUNE

Odisha Train Tragedy

The Odisha train tragedy, India’s third-biggest railway disaster, sparked a political debate over alleged mismanagement and apathy towards safety warnings. The Opposition demanded Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s resignation over the tragedy in Odisha’s Balasore that claimed at least 296 lives. The Congress also cited that a Railways report had warned of flaws in the signalling system just three months before the accident, but the Centre failed to take note of it.

JULY

I.N.D.I.A — A United Opposition Front Against BJP Juggernaut

This month saw a landmark event in India’s political fabric as Opposition parties of different ideologies banded together against the BJP to fight the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar took the initiative and floated the idea of a united Opposition front against the BJP juggernaut using a ‘one-candidate-one-seat-per-party’ strategy. The plan worked against the incumbent governments of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in 1977 and 1989, respectively.

However, the parties squabbling among themselves in states made matters difficult for them. Five months and four meetings later, the “united Opposition” — named Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or I.N.D.I.A — showed some sort of unity when Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s name as the PM face for the alliance. This was seconded by Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and was “not opposed” by other parties.

However, a day later, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) objected to the proposal and asked for the Bihar CM to be named the PM candidate for I.N.D.I.A. Kharge asked the parties to focus on winning the Lok Sabha elections and said that the PM candidate can be agreed upon later. The I.N.D.I.A is yet to seal a seat-sharing agreement is likely to do it in the first quarter of 2024.

AUGUST

Delhi Ordinance Bill Passed

August was marked by a stormy monsoon session of Parliament, with the Rajya Sabha passing the Delhi Ordinance Bill, which gave powers to the Centre to appoint and transfer officials in the national capital.

Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha Membership Reinstated

Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership was reinstated, following a Supreme Court order to stay his conviction in the 2019 defamation case. The case, however, is still in court.

SEPTEMBER

Fresh Row Over India-Bharat

A fresh row erupted over the possibility of a change in the country’s name from India and Bharat to just ‘Bharat’ after invitations were sent to G20 delegates by President Droupadi Murmu and PM Narendra Modi.

Women’s Reservation Bill Passed

Parliament passes a historic bill granting women 33% reservation in Parliament and state legislative assemblies. Reservation for women from scheduled castes and tribes will be within the allocated 33% quota. The bill will be implemented after the next delimitation exercise after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. It will also need to be passed by at least 50% of the state assemblies.

Mahua Moitra Cash For Query Row

The alleged cash-for-query case came to light after advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai filed a CBI complaint, accusing Mahua Moitra of corruption. He accused her of taking money from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions in Parliament against his business competitor Gautam Adani. A Parliamentary ethics panel was set up and the allegations were probed. The matter pulled the I.N.D.I.A constituents together, who spoke out in Mahua’s defence.

NOVEMBER

The high-stakes elections to five states — Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana — are held. The elections were being seen as a precursor to the 2024 elections. The major parties participating in the polls — Congress, BJP, AAP, MNF, ZPM, BRS, among others — gave everything and fought tooth and nail. The results were declared in December.

DECEMBER

Five States Get New CMs

The elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh prove one-sided as the BJP hands the Congress thumping defeats. However, Telangana sees a resurgence of Congress as it becomes the first non-BRS party to win the state polls.

All the states got fresh CM faces who took oath to the chair for the first time. Mizoram got ZPM’s Lalduhoma, Madhya Pradesh got Mohan Yadav, and Rajasthan got Bhajan Lal Sharma as CMs. A Revanth Reddy and Vishnu Deo Sai took oath as Telangana and Chhttisgarh CMs, respectively.

Mahua Moitra Expelled From Parliament

TMC’s Mahua Moitra was expelled from Lok Sabha following an inquiry by Parliament’s ethics committee into the cash-for-query case. Mahua Moitra was found guilty of having shared “sensitive” data linked to her MP login details. She was also found guilty of taking cash and gifts from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for posting questions against his business rival Gautam Adani.

Hiranandani turned approver and issued a statement against Mahua Moitra in the case. The TMC MP admitted to having shared her login details with him but only for typing questions that she had framed on her own. She also said that Hiranandani was a close “friend”.

Parliament Security Breach and Mass Suspension Of MPs

With all the controversies and the upheavals, one would think that there were no more twists left in India’s politics. But the biggest shocks were yet to come.

First, Parliament’s security saw a massive breach on December 13 after two men jumped into the MPs’ well and lobbed coloured-smoke bombs/cannisters. While this happened inside Lok Sabha, two more intruders opened smoke bombs and shouted slogans.

It was later found that the two men in Lok Sabha managed to sneak in using a pass issued by BJP MP Pratap Simha. The Opposition demanded his suspension and a statement from Union Home Minister on how the breach occurred. It refused to let Parliament function unless concerns related to their safety and security were addressed.

This led to the suspension of 146 MPs for “disorderly conduct” — a staggering number that broke all records of mass suspension.