 | « Back to article | Print this article |
The house could function barely for about 55 minutes during which legislative business was rushed through with five important bills being passed and two others introduced amid din.
The bills passed included one on raising salaries and allowances of ministers and another providing for creation of commercial divisions of high courts.
The entire opposition, except Telugu Desam Party, was agitated at the way the legislative business was rushed through by Speaker Meira Kumar and staged a walk-out.
The Lok Sabha was later adjourned sine die. Pro-Telangana and pro-united Andhra Pradesh members engaged in vigorous slogan-shouting to press their demands as soon as the house met for the day, a repetition of the scenes witnessed during the last three days.
While four TDP members trooped into the well carrying placards saying 'We want united AP', pro-Telangana Congress members held placards with 'Double standard, TDP down down' written on them.
Chanting slogans 'December 9 is the black day', the TDP members were demanding that Home Minister P Chidambaram should withdraw his announcement about creation of Telangana.
One of the six TDP members R Suresh was favouring creation of Telangana and carried a placard which read 'Jai Telangana'.
Bodoland People's Front member S K Bwiswmuthiary also rushed into the well demanding separate state of Bodoland. Before adjourning the house sine die, the Speaker referred to the disruptions caused by members over the Telangana issue and hoped an amicable solution would be found to it.
"Ours is a democratic society, which, I am sure, can find solutions to the most intractable problems," Kumar said, adding, "The maturity and sagacity found in the democratic political forces should help them discover rational approaches to solving this problem."
Noting that democratic processes are 'characterised by the flexibility of approaches which are opposed to maximalist positions on any matter,' she said, "I hope such approaches and attitudes will re-emerge in the coming days and the democratic spirit of inclusiveness will re-assert in the state of Andhra Pradesh."
As the Speaker rushed through legislative business amid continued slogan-shouting, Left members Basudeb Acharia and Gurudas Dasgupta were seen protesting and objecting. Acharia was seen talking to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav about his unhappiness and Dasgupta roped in Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav who in turn spoke to BJP's Deputy Leader Sushma Swaraj. Thereafter, all their members were seen walking out but not before Swaraj said it was not the way to pass the bills.