Rallying against the order passed by the Parliamentary authorities, the Opposition leaders have banded together to conduct a 50-hour long protest against their suspension and demand discussion on price rise in the lower and upper houses.
Apart from the tough call taken by the Opposition parties to call a ’50-hour dharna’, the MPs from different rival parties are now also taking turns to arrange regional cuisines for the leaders sitting in the protests, with dishes ranging from idlis to tandoori chicken.
In a show of solidarity and political strength, the Opposition parties have come together to create a duty roster for the protest with every party taking responsibility for making arrangements, including food, for those sitting on the dharna.
As per PTI reports, a roster is also being circulated among all opposition parties via WhatsApp, keeping everyone in the loop about the arrangements made for the leaders throughout the day. The items on the menu range from curd rice and idli-sambhar to tandoori chicken, ‘gajar ka halwa’, and fruits.
Twenty suspended Rajya Sabha members started the protest inside the Parliament complex on Wednesday, with sources close to PTI saying the Opposition declined the Chairman’s offer that they express regret over their members’ behavior in the House to get the suspension revoked.
Trinamool Congress leader Dola Sen, who is a part of the dharna, said that the MPs are protesting near the Gandhi statue and will continue their dharna for 50 total hours. This came as more MPs were suspended on Tuesday, taking the total number up to 24.
Those suspended over Monday and Tuesday, include seven from the TMC, six from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), three from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), two from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and one each from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
AAP and DMK played a key role in planning the roster for the event, while other parties decided to arrange regional cuisines for all the MPs. AAP was responsible for erecting the tent while TMC arranged fruits, sandwiches, and tea for the leaders.
(With PTI inputs)
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