MPs shame India, vandalize Parliament; 18 MPs suspended from LS; TDP MP suffers heart attack

www.mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, Feb 13, 2014: Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on Thursday saw ugly scenes from the anti-Telanagana MPs as the Bill to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh and create Telangana was tabled in Parliament.

Expelled Congress MP Lagdapati Rajagopal used pepper spray while TDP MP Venugopal Reddy allegedly brandished a knife inside the Lok Sabha.

However, the TDP MP denied that he had a knife with him and instead said that he had snatched a microphone from the Lok Sabha Secretary General which some may have mistaken as a knife.

 

"I pulled the mic that was in front of the Secy General. It may have looked like a knife, I did not bring any knife inside the house. I was beaten up by 10 MPs. I will complain. The house belongs to the Speaker and us," Venugopal Reddy said.

"Mic was pulled, papers torn, altercation happened. Pepper spray was sprayed by MPs. Sushma Swaraj was also injured," said MP Rajender Aggarwal.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee has condemned the incident. "Never heard of this in my life, shocking incident. This is totally unacceptable. I don’t have words to condemn this," said Chatterjee.

The pepper spray and knife incident is first of its kind in the history of Parliament. At least four MPs have suffered injuries because of spray. They have been taken to hospital for medical assistance.

Rajagopal was also injured after he was attacked by other MPs. Some MPs also clashed in Parliament following which marshals had to be summoned to separate them.

There was also an incident of physical violence between the anti and pro Telanagana leaders in Parliament.

In the Rajya Sabha, for the second time in a week, protesting MPs pulled out the Deputy Chairperson’s microphone. An unfazed Deputy Chairperson told the protesting MPs to continue with whatever they wanted to do. "Continue with the proceeding if this is democracy," he said.

Parliament Affairs Minister Kamal Nath has said that action will be taken against these MPs after consultation with the Speaker. "This is a big blot in Parliament democracy. Many party leaders have asked me to tell speaker to take action against MPs," said Nath.