Telangana Issue Affects Lok Sabha Proceedings

The Telangana issue disrupted proceedings in the Lok Sabha today as TRS, TDP and Congress members raised the matter for the second day in the House, leading to its brief adjournment.

    As soon as the House assembled for the day, TRS members K Chandrashekar Rao and M Vijaya Shanthi trooped into the Well demanding that they be allowed to register their protest on the government's "silence" on the issue of a separate Telangana.

    Congress members from Telangana added fuel to the fire by entering the House covering their mouths with black bands suggesting that they were being gagged.

    Speaker Meira Kumar, who had called for the Question Hour, said their behavior was against Parliamentary norms and adjourned the House for 15 minutes. She called the protesting members to her chamber.

    At the meeting, the Speaker is understood to have read out the rules to the Congress members saying their act of sporting black bands could lead to their suspension from the House.

    CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta was seen requesting Congress members to refrain from sporting bands covering their mouths saying it was against Parliamentary rules.

    The Congress members, including Madhu Goud Yakshi, M Jagannathan, Ponnam Prabhakar, Sarvey Satyanarayana, K Rajagopal Reddy, G Vivekananda, were not seen in the House when it re-assembled at 11:15 a.m.

    TRS members Rao and Shanthi resumed their seats and tried to raise Telangana issue after the first question was taken up. However, when the Speaker did not grant them permission, TRS members and two TDP members walked out of the House raising pro-Telangana slogans. PTI