Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday Harivansh, the deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, is blessed with a “humble mind and a big heart” after he went to meet the protesting MPs from the opposition parties and offered them tea.
Harivansh met the protesting member of the Rajya Sabha from the opposition parties, who spent the night on the lawns of Parliament to protest the passage of two contentious farm bills without a division of votes on Sunday in the Upper House. He was seen sitting and drinking tea with the MPs on the ground.
“To personally serve tea to those who attacked and insulted him a few days ago as well as those sitting on Dharna shows that Shri Harivansh Ji has been blessed with a humble mind and a big heart. It shows his greatness. I join the people of India in congratulating Harivansh Ji,” he tweeted.
“For centuries, the great land of Bihar has been teaching us the values of democracy. In line with that wonderful ethos, MP from Bihar and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Shri Harivansh Ji’s inspiring and statesman like conduct this morning will make every democracy lover proud,” he added.
Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen, the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) Sanjay Singh, Congress leaders Rajeev Satav, Ripun Bora and Syed Nasir Hussain, KK Ragesh and Elamaram Karim of the CPI(M) were suspended for a week by Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu for “unruly behaviour” with Harivansh.
They had refused to leave the House after their suspension, which was adjourned several times amid opposition protest.
“Harivansh ji said he came to meet us as a colleague and not as the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha. He also brought some tea and snacks for us. We started this sit-in demonstration yesterday as a protest against our suspension. We have been here all night,” Bora said, according to news agency ANI.
“No one from the government has come to enquire about us. Many opposition leaders came to enquire about us and to show solidarity with us. We are going to continue this demonstration,” Bora added.
The sit-in protest by eight suspended MPs on Parliament premises continued for the second day on Tuesday after they spent the night in the lawns near Mahatma Gandhi’s statue.
