LS adjourned over Telangana, Bodoland issues

Unrelenting members from the Telegu Desam Party and Bodoland Peoples' Front  forced the adjournment of Lok Sabha on Thursday, as they disrupted proceedings from the time the House met in the morning.

The House saw two adjournments during the pre-lunch sitting. While the Question Hour was adjourned for 15 minutes following uproar over the two issues, the House was adjourned for two hours during Zero Hour. When the Lok Sabha reassembled after the second adjournment, similar scenes were witnessed with TDP members trooping into the well displaying placards in favour of united Andhra Pradesh and raising slogans against the Centre's decision to create a separate Telangana.

They were joined in the well by S K Bwiswmuthiary of the BPF, who held up a banner demanding a separate Bodoland. Congress members from Telangana region too were on their feet, countering the slogans raised by TDP members and vociferously demanding a separate state. As Deputy Speaker Karia Munda took up the listed business, the protesting members continued with their protest.

In the din Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee introduced a Bill to consolidate laws relating to coinage and mints and their protection, and Home Minister P Chidambaram introduced another bill to raise salaries and allowances of ministers. As pandemonium prevailed, the House took up discussion on Naxalite and Maoist violence. Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Basudeb Acharia rose to speak, but TDP and BPF members continued their slogan shouting. 

Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal-United requested the protesting members to return to their seats and urged the Chair to allow them to raise the issue very briefly so that the House could carry on with its business without disruptions. Munda almost relented, but Lalu Prasad said the House should decide if it wanted to debate the bifurcation of states or the Maoist violence and that members from all parties be allowed to speak on the issue so decided. This led to the Chair sticking to the business and asking Acharia to continue with the discussion on Maoist violence. But TDP members, who had briefly resumed their seats on Yadav's request, returned to the well to continue with their protest. The Deputy Speaker then adjourned the House for the day.

Earlier, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for 15

minutes soon after it met in the morning, as TDP members from coastal Andhra and Rayalseema disrupted proceedings protesting against the announcement for a separate Telangana. As soon as the Question Hour began, TDP members opposed to division of Andhra Pradesh displayed placards which said, "We want united AP", and rushed to the well raising slogans. TDP members K Narayana Rao, M Venu Gopala Reddy, N Kristappa and N Sivaprasad continued shouting slogans even as Speaker Meira Kumar asked them not to display placards, saying the members should observe "sanctity" of the House.

Congress members from Telangana countered the TDP members by showing placards favouring a separate state and raised "Jai Telangana" slogans. The differences between members from Telangana and Andhra, from both TDP and Congress, was out in the open. TDP member from Telangana R Ramesh displayed "Jai Telangana" placard and Congress members from Andhra and Rayalseema raised slogans favouring united Andhra Pradesh. In the din, Ministers Mamata Banerjee and Dayanidhi Maran replied to a question each. Amid pandemonium, Bwiswmuthiary too rushed to the well with a placard demanding separate statehood for Bodoland and raised slogans.

As repeated pleas by the Chair to TDP and BPF members to return to their seats went unheeded, the House was adjourned for 15 minutes. When the House reassembled and the Question Hour got over, trouble began with issues ranging from Telangana to price rise to Women's Reservation Bill being raised forcefully. Four TDP members stormed the well and they were soon joined by Bwismuthiary.

Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, son of late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S R Reddy, was seen nudging members, who were demanding a united Andhra Pradesh, to continue the protest. Soon, SP members, including Dharmendra Yadav, Shailendra Kumar and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, trooped into the well demanding withdrawal of Women's Reservation Bill, a report on which was presented in Parliament on Thursday.

Former union minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD) too came to the well protesting against price rise. In the din, Speaker Meira Kumar ordered laying of various reports and statements listed for the day and later adjourned the House for two hours.