CISF row: ‘Who is running the House? You or Shah?’, Kharge asks Chair

As members of the Opposition and ruling alliance locked horns over the use of CISF personnel, the government maintained that the CISF personnel were assigned as marshals to ensure order during protests and pandemonium inside the House.

The Opposition said permitting anyone other than Parliament security personnel to control MPs inside the chamber was a breach of the autonomy of Parliament.

Kharge alleged that Opposition MPs were prevented from entering the Well of the House by CISF personnel as if they were “terrorists”.

“You bring the CISF inside (the House)? Are we terrorists? Our Parliament staff is empowered enough to protect us… but you want to bring the police? The military to conduct the proceedings of the House?” he said.

Earlier in the day, after papers were laid on the table of the House, Harivansh made an announcement during which he referred to Kharge’s August 1 letter questioning the deployment of CISF personnel “in the Well of the House” when Opposition MPs were “exercising their democratic right to protest”.

Harivansh also expressed concern over Kharge making his letter to the Chair public. He said Kharge’s letter to him was “privileged communication” and should not have been shared with the media even before it had reached him.

Kharge had written to the Deputy Chairman, expressing shock that CISF personnel were being made to “run into the Well of the House” during Opposition protests.

Harivansh said the presence of the security personnel inside the House was not a new thing. “Entry there is regulated; disrupting the House by raising slogans there is always uncalled for; violating the sanctity of this space is like reducing the dignity of this House… The presence of security personnel in the House is not a new thing… It was first put in place in 1930 by… Vithalbhai Patel. These security personnel have been in deployment since then and are specially-trained,” he said.

Rijiju sought a clarification from the Chair on what action needs to be taken against wrong claims being made by the Leader of Opposition.

“Only marshals can enter the House. That day, there were only marshals. LoP is misleading and putting forth wrong facts. When a misleading letter is written or a wrong fact is presented, what action needs to be taken?” he said.

Outside the House, Rijiju said CISF personnel have now been assigned the job of marshals in the House.  “Whoever is assigned for a particular duty will do that job, right? Marshals are those who are used when there is difficulty in running the House. They are meant to bring order to the House. They have to be brought from somewhere.. either they have to go through some formalities like exams or can be on deputation. It has been explained by the Chair that all those have been from the Parliament security staff and part of it,” he said.

The Opposition took strong exception to CISF personnel being used to control members inside the chamber of the House.  Pointing out that the number of CISF personnel inside the Parliament complex was now more than 3,000, DMK leader T Siva asked the government to clarify when the paramilitary force took charge of Parliament House.

“Opposition parties have the right to ask questions, demand discussions and the government has to give consent. We have been demanding a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls but the government has not said anything about it. We were continuing our protests inside the House. All of a sudden, many of these people (security personnel) trooped into the House as if they were to control a riot. It’s an insult to MPs and Parliament,” Siva told The Indian Express.

He said Opposition MPs were just standing in the first row. “They (security personnel) were really aggressive. (Congress MP) Renuka Chowdhury was handled in an aggressive manner. We want to ask the government when did the CISF take over the chamber? Who called them inside today?”

The CISF personnel replaced the 150 personnel of Delhi Police, including 54 women personnel, who were deployed for the security of Parliament complex from May 1, 2024. The CISF replaced the Parliament Security Service that came into existence following the formation of the Watch and Ward Committee on September 3, 1929, an initiative taken by Vithalbhai Patel, then president of the Central Legislative Assembly. The committee has been working independently under the Lok Sabha Speaker.

CPM floor leader John Brittas pointed out that earlier the marshals were called in to stand around the table office – where the secretary general and Parliament reporters are seated – but now the security personnel started rounding off the Well of the House, which is a part of the House.

“The CISF has no role inside the House, the government had told us they were brought in to deal with outsiders. The CISF started dealing with MPs not just outside but also inside the chamber. The Well of the House is essentially part of the House and to enter or not is the discretion of the member. The CISF, in the garb of Parliament security, preventing MPs from entering the Well is trampling the rights of the members,” Brittas said.

“Now, 3,000 CISF personnel have been recruited for Parliament. Anybody and everybody who was part of the organic Parliamentary security system has been shunted away to corners of the Parliament House building. This is a serious breach of the autonomy of Parliament,” he said.