Government today moved the volatile Telangana Bill for consideration in lok Sabha but the pandemonium created by opponents to the legislation prevented a discussion as the House was repeatedly adjourned.
Notwithstanding the continuing protests inside and outside Parliament, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde moved the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2014 for consideration even as MPs from Seemandhra, including ministers, were in the Well opposing bifurcation of the state.
They were raising slogans in favour of United Andhra Pradesh and carrying placards with such messages.
The ministers in the Well were Chiranjeevi, D Purandeswari and K S Rao.
For the first time, CPI(M) members also joined the protest against creation of Telangana. They were carrying placards opposing bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and demanding that the measure should not be adopted without debate.
Sixteen members from the region, belonging to Congress, TDP and YSR Congress, were suspended from the House last Thursday till February 20 after unprecedented pandemonium that saw expelled Congress member l Rajagopal bursting pepper spray causing commotion.
Members from Telangana region were also in the Well seeking early creation of the separate state.
Members belonging to some other parties raised various other demands like passage of bill for reservation in promotions, SC/ST sub-plan bill and moving of resolution against Sri lanka in the UN Human Rights Council.
Soon after Shinde started speaking, the pandemonium forced Speaker
Meira Kumar to adjourn the House at 12.15 PM for half an hour.
Similar scenes were witnessed when the House met again.
Some members, including AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and Trinamool Congress' Kalyan Banerjee, demanded division on introduction of the Bill.
The bill was introduced on February 13 amid din but a number of parties have refused to accept that.
Amid uproar, Shinde continued to speak on the bill. However, even while he was speaking, the Speaker adjourned the House till 3 PM in view of the disruptions. Earlier, the House was adjourned twice.
Earlier, the Speaker pleaded with the members to restore order in the House so that she could take up the notices for no-confidence motion received by her and ascertain these have the backing of at least 50 MPs.
Rajya Sabha was also rocked by protests against creation of Telangana, forcing its adjournment twice till 2 PM.
Security beefed up in Seemandhra
Hyderabad: lok Sabha expected to debate the contentious Telangana bill today, security in Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh was beefed up and forces were put on alert to meet any eventuality on the law and order front.
"We are monitoring the situation...Police in districts have already been asked to be on alert...Depending upon the situation we will take appropriate action," Additional Director General of Police (law and order) VSK Kaumudi said.
Police forces are already on alert in view of the protests and bandhs in Seemandhra districts over the past few days and with the Telangana Bill likely to be debated in lok Sabha today, security arrangements have been heightened.
"We are on alert...With Telangana Bill to come for debate...There may be emotional flare-up in some parts... situation is being carefully monitored. Paramilitary forces along with state police personnel were deployed as a precautionary measure," another senior police official of Anantapur Range said.
Ever since the Centre took a decision last year to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana, agitational programmes such as bandhs, massive protests and demonstrations were being held in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions (collectively called Seemandhra) against the move.
On the other hand, Telangana protagonists are preparing for celebrations as they expect the lok Sabha to give its nod to the bill.
There are indications that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy would finally bite the bullet and announce his resignation today against the state's division.
In a key bureaucratic reshuffle, two senior IAS officers in the CM office were transferred yesterday.Several ministers close to him have been saying for the last several days that he would quit.
Senior leaders from all parties are camping in Delhi in view of the scheduled debate in lok Sabha and possible passage of the Telangana bill.
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who addressed a farmers' rally in Punjab on Sunday last, is in Delhi, meeting leaders of different parties. The former Chief Minister bats for equitable justice to Telangana and Seemandhra (Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema).
Naidu met top BJP leaders l K Advani, Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh and important leaders like M Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa, Sharad Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, A B Bardhan in the last fortnight to expose the "unilateral" ways of ruling Congress vis-a-vis division.
YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, lok Sabha member from Kadapa, is in Delhi to attend Parliament session. He met BJP president Rajnath Singh, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and other leaders to seek their support against the division.
TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, also a lok Sabha member, has been camping in Delhi to attend the ongoing Parliament session. He exuded confidence that separate state would be a reality soon.
