New Delhi, Aug. 3 (The Telegraph): Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today suspended 25 of the Congress's 44 Lok Sabha members for five consecutive days for "wilful and persistent obstruction" of proceedings, uniting the Opposition and injecting new life into the Congress's House strategy.

By late evening, hectic networking by Sonia Gandhi had raised the likelihood of a united Opposition boycott of the Lok Sabha till Friday, the last day of the suspensions. Trinamul and the CPM had by then already announced their own four-day boycotts from tomorrow.

Consultations are on also for a possible joint dharna on the Parliament premises or a four-day dharna by the suspended members.

Congress sources said the Speaker's decision - old-timers could not recall so many members having ever been suspended together -had come as a boon for their party at a time doubts were sapping its resolve and self-confidence.

Two factors worried the party: one, its strategy of turmoil was failing to prise out adjournments even after two weeks of logjam; and two, few Opposition parties appeared willing to join its no-resignation-no-work campaign.

Sonia had ripped into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on "monumental corruption" at this morning's meeting of the Congress parliamentary party, but many insiders privately voiced concern about the outcome of their tactic of disruption.

All this changed within hours as Mahajan cited Rule 374(A) and suspended the 25 MPs, who had been waving placards in her face and seeking the heads of foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and chief ministers Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Congress leaders blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly for the mass suspension, describing it as a "bullying tactic".

"This is exactly what the Gujarat model was: bully the Opposition. Modi used to ensure suspension of Congress members for the full session. He'll try it here too instead of adopting a conciliatory approach," a Congress leader said.

Several Congress MPs and officials asserted that what was looking like "a losing battle" would now be fought with renewed vigour. In the Rajya Sabha, the protests will continue even if the Lok Sabha witnesses a boycott this week.

The strategy of disruption has the full backing of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. In the past, Sonia didn't usually return to the House immediately after the lunch break but she has been present every minute this session to motivate her outnumbered troops.

The slogans have been getting shriller and the placards bigger, and now the suspension has recharged Congress batteries.

Sonia's "black day for democracy" comment reflected the Congress's belligerent mood; so did Rahul's warning to Modi that he could not silence the Opposition.

"We stand by each one of our suspended MPs. Truth will not be silenced in the case of corruption either where the Prime Minister is protecting the guilty," the Congress vice-president tweeted. "The Modi government will soon understand that truth cannot be silenced. The people of India and the Congress have shown this in the case of land bill."

During UPA rule, over half-a-dozen MPs protesting the creation of a Telangana state had been suspended from the Lok Sabha.

"There was unanimity in the House then, with the Opposition BJP agreeing to the suspensions. Here it is one-sided," the Congress's House leader, Mallikarjun Kharge, said.

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