Congress MP Rajani Patil suspended for filming Rajya Sabha proceedings, Bhagwant Mann episode cited

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, February 10

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday suspended Congress MP Rajani Patil for the current Budget session over filming House proceedings during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply to President’s address yesterday.

Dhankhar, while referring the matter to the privileges committee, said a strong prima facie case had emerged to suspend Patil till the panel’s final advice came.

The action followed a 2016 precedent involving then Sangrur MP and incumbent Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann who was suspended from the 10th session of the 16th Lok Sabha on December 9, 2016, for live-streaming Parliament security procedures on Facebook.

The clip Patil videographed also landed on Twitter.

Her suspension came after Dhankhar named Patil following Leader of the House Piyush Goyal’s mention of the July 2022 ruling by then House Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu warning MPs against filming of House proceedings in an act that lowered the dignity of the Rajya Sabha.

After Goyal sought appropriate action for unauthorised publication of House proceedings which, he said, “mainly showed principal opposition’s MPs in poor light”, BJP’s GVL Narsimha Rao moved a motion on suspension of the Congress MP from the remainder of the session.

The Chairman, later, citing the 2016 precedent of Mann, suspended Patil, who is Congress in-charge of J&K.

Opposition leaders across parties Congress, Left, RJD, SP and TMC opposed the suspension, calling for a committee to probe the matter first. Most of them also alleged bias in parliamentary reporting by Rajya Sabha television.

Another point of contention was Rule 256 of the RS procedures which BJP’s Rao cited to seek Patil’s suspension.

“Rule 256 (1) says that the Chairman may name a member who disregards his authority, and no direct disregard has happened here and abuses rules by persistently and wilfully obstructing the business thereof. We have certainly not reached a stage of obstructing business. This apart from the fact that she is a first time offender,” Congress’ Abhishek Singhvi said. Dhankhar relied on two documents for his decision — the 2016 precedent and former Rajya Sabha Chairman Naidu’s July 28, 2022 ruling.

Then AAP MP was suspended in 2016

• Congress MP Rajani Patil suspended as she filmed House proceedings during PM Modi’s reply to President’s address on Thursday
• In 2016, Bhagwant Mann was also suspended from tenth session of 16th Lok Sabha for ‘live-streaming’ Parliament security procedures