Parliament disrupted over Telangana, rule violation bulletin

Lok Sabha witnessed unruly scenes during Question Hour today as Congress and TDP members raised the Telangana issue and DMK MPs protested holding of Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka.
Parliament disrupted over Telangana, rule violation bulletin

Both Houses of Parliament were disrupted over issues including demands for a united Andhra Pradesh and protests over the naming of BJP and Telugu Desam Party members in the Rajya Sabha bulletin for violation of rules.

During question hour in the Lok Sabha, Congress and Telugu Desam Party members raised the Telangana issue.

Members from the Shiromani Akali Dal waved newspapers carrying reports of Sikhs having to remove their turbans at an airport in Italy.

The house could take up only two questions because of the disruptions.

BJP leader L.K. Advani said that in the last several years he had not seen such pandemonium in the Lok Sabha.

He said the leader of the house and the parliamentary affairs minister were not present and the members from the treasury benches were disrupting the proceedings.

"I request you to please bring the house to order," he told Speaker Meira Kumar, who adjourned the proceedings till noon.

The house again witnessed noisy scenes after Defence Minister A.K. Antony's statement on the killing of Indian soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC).

The members wanted to question the defence minister but the speaker did not allow it. This led to a ruckus in the house forcing Meira Kumar to adjourn it again till 2 p.m.

The Rajya Sabha was disrupted as opposition members slammed the government for naming BJP and TDP members in the bulletin of the upper house for violation of rules.

The BJP staged a walkout and boycotted the house.

The bulletin is a circular which records highlights of the proceedings of the day for the two houses. The Rajya Sabha bulletin of Wednesday named 20 BJP and two TDP members - Y.S. Chowdary and C.M. Ramesh - for violating the rules.

As soon as the upper house met Thursday morning, BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu raised the issue.

Naidu slammed the government for discrimination as the Congress members who violated the rules were not named in the bulletin.

"Why this discrimination? What is the rule? Naming of members of one party and showing discrimination is not acceptable. We denounce it," he said.

Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley also questioned why Congress members of the house were not named.

Chairman M. Hamid Ansari said the issue could be discussed in his chamber, to which the opposition did not agree. The BJP then staged a walkout.

AIADMK leader V. Maitreyan said Congress member Govardhan Reddy quarrelled with the two TDP members near the chairman's podium, and Renuka Chowdhary went to stop him.

Maitreyan questioned why they were not named in the list.

The AIADMK and the Shiv Sena then staged a walkout.

The two TDP members continued with their protest despite repeated pleas from the chair. Amid the din, the house was adjourned till noon.

When the upper house reassembled, the BJP continued their boycott.

Opposition members raised slogans saying that the government could not gag them.

As the din continued, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned first till 12.30 p.m., and then till 2 p.m.

The bulletin says: "Today (Aug 7), the chair adjourned the house due to gross disorderly conduct in violation of rules and etiquettes of Rajya Sabha by the following members who entered the 'well' of the house and persistently and willfully obstructed the proceedings of the house."

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