Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Tuesday that the suspension of eight Opposition members should be revoked and the Opposition would boycott the proceedings of the House till the demand is met.

Azad also demanded that the government introduce a bill mandating that private companies and even Food Corporation of India (FCI) will not purchase farm produce below the minimum support price (MSP).

“The government should introduce another bill which ensures that private players do not purchase beneath the MSP. On this, farmers can go to a court. MSPs should be announced on Swaminathan formula. The state corporations and FCI should not purchase below MSPs. Our colleagues who have been suspended, their suspension should be revoked. Till the time the government does not take it back, we will boycott the proceedings of the House,” Azad said.

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During the debate, several Opposition members also suggested that the suspension of the eight members be revoked. Most members also expressed displeasure at the happenings in the House on Sunday.

Azad, who is also the Leader of the Opposition, said no one, whether from the ruling side or Opposition, was happy with what happened in Rajya Sabha on Sunday.

He said the House was like a family, but sometimes there are disputes even within a family.

“We don’t know till when the Covid-19 outbreak will persist. If Covid-19 lingers, this could even be my last speech as I have only five months of tenure left,” Azad said, adding that members of Parliament represented millions of people, who also wanted to hear them.

He said time constraints in the House often did not allow members to elucidate upon important issues. “We fight for every minute like soldiers fight on borders,” Azad said.

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He said Sunday’s proceedings were the “last straw that broke the camel’s back” of feelings that were pent up over time. He said members were often upset with the lack of time, adding bills were not sent to select or standing committees when they should have been.

“I don’t approve of someone breaking the microphone or standing on a table, but this had been pent up over a long time and came out like a storm,” said Azad. He said Lok Sabha could sit longer as proceedings began at 3pm, which provided the MPs with more time.

“The dispute was over the sense of the House. Sense of House does not mean numbers. Sense of House means majority of political parties. Their were 18 parties on one side and one party on the other. This time constraint has become the biggest issue,” Azad said.

He said that the House runs on coordination within the government, and between the Opposition and government. “But there should not be coordination between chair and government,” he said.

“I do not know if the government had the numbers. But there could be no division on resolutions or amendments,” Azad said.

He said parliamentarian Arun Jaitley had said a government becomes “illegitimate” if the Speaker does not allow division of votes. Rajya Sabha chaiman M Venkaiah Naidu retorted that Jaitley had also spoken of the “tyranny of the minority”.

Azad said government announced the MSPs on Monday, gave no further information during discussion in the House. The cabinet meeting should have been held earlier, he said.

“The government has spoken of one nation, one market in an advertisement. My request is don’t go towards one nation, one party,” he said.