DMK leader and Rajya Sabha member M.M. Abdulla has complained to Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar alleging that he was “stopped and questioned” by security personnel when he was on a routine visit to the Parliament premises on Tuesday.

The Opposition leaders on Wednesday flagged a bigger concern, saying this was why the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) had replaced the Parliament Security Service — to obstruct MPs belonging to the INDIA bloc.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor condemned the incident, saying: "The usurpation of Parliament security by the home ministry should not be allowed to stand."

The security at the Parliament complex was earlier handled by the Parliament Security Service, Delhi police and the Central Reserve Police Force. Following a security breach in December, when two youths jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors’ gallery, the Union home ministry handed over the security of the complex to the CISF.

In his letter to Dhankhar, the DMK MP alleged misbehaviour by CISF personnel, who, according to him, questioned him on the purpose of his visit to Parliament.

“I am appalled by this behaviour of the CISF personnel who questioned me on the purpose of my visit to Parliament, a place where I represent the interests of the people and the state of Tamil Nadu. Such unprecedented misbehaviour has never happened earlier while the PSS (Parliament Security Services) was in charge of the security,” Abdulla said in his letter.

“I am still unable to comprehend the manner in which I was questioned by the CISF personnel and the incident has deeply affected me,” the Tamil Nadu MP wrote.

Abdulla said he had a notion that members of Parliament (MPs) could enter Parliament "even if they do not have any official engagements". He added that he was liable to disclose the purpose of his visit only to the Chairman and custodian of the Rajya Sabha.

The MP has asked the Rajya Sabha Chairman to take action against the CISF personnel for their "misbehaviour".

Sources in the CISF, however, said the personnel "wanted to help the new MP and thus asked him where he was visiting and if he needed help."

“The honourable MP was not stopped,” a CISF official said.

In a post on X, Congress MP Tharoor said: “The subordination of Parliament to the control of the executive is an assault on the very assumptions behind our constitutional system....”

Trinamool MP Saket Gokhale posted on X: “An MP CANNOT be asked why they’re going to Parliament. As Members of the House, it is our right to be in Parliament. Is this why CISF has replaced Parliament Security Services? To obstruct INDIA MPs from carrying out their duties?”