Telangana, chopper deal, Taniam death rock Parliament, adjourned

mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, Feb 05: Amid concerns over reports that said the 15th Lok Sabha was the least productive of all, its last session began amid uproar which led to quick adjournment of both the houses on Wednesday.

While issues of protests were many, the outcome was common: commotion and chaos.

 

The Telangana issue disrupted Parliament, leading to adjournment of Lok Sabha till Thursday. Speaker Meira Kumar repeatedly appealed to members to maintain calm and allow smooth conduct of the House, reminding them that it was the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha. But her pleas went unheard.

Storm over Telangana:

MPs from Seemandhra region, cutting across parties, stormed the Well of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as soon as houses assembled for the day. The MPs carried placards saying ’Jai Samaikya Andhra Pradesh’ (hail united Andhra Pradesh).

The government had announced that it will take up in the Rajya Sabha the Bill to carve out a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh.

In an embarrassment for the ruling Congress, some of its own lawmakers said they will move a no-confidence motion against the PM over his government’s Telangana plans. A Congress MP from Rajhamundry, V Arun Kumar, has already moved a no-trust motion against the government. (Read More: The political quagmire that is Telangana)

However, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, "These are minor hiccups and I hope they will set aside their prejudices for a conducive session." Singh also hoped that important bills are passed in the last session of parliament.

"We have important pieces of legislation ready for approval by Parliament and I sincerely hope that Parliament will create an atmosphere where all sections of the house work together to pass these bills," the Prime Minister told the media outside parliament, IANS reported.

A more realistic Finance Minister P Chidambaram said, "I doubt if Parliament will pass any bill in this session."

Nido Tania’s death:

In the Lok Sabha, some members mentioned the death of Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh who was beaten to death by shopkeepers in Delhi last week. Left MPs demanded action against the culprits. They carried posters saying ’Stop racial discrimination against North-Eastern people’

 

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said, "It’s our responsibility that we should protect each and every children in India. I am amazed that both Delhi and the Central governments are sitting on protest at Jantar Mantar."

Speaking on Tania’s murder, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav said, "The House must condemn the incident."

Minister of State for Minority Affairs Ninong Ering said, "We must ensure such attacks do not recur. This is not an isolated incident."
 
AgustaWestland chopper deal:

BJP raised the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case in Rajya Sabha. Ravi Shankar Prasad gave notice for suspension of Question Hour to discuss AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.

"The government must make a statement today itself on AgustaWestland case," the party said.

"The government is worried by its own leaders. It is playing vote bank politics. It’s the government’s responsibility to let the House function smoothly," Prasad said.

While Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm after uproar over Telangana Bill and AgustaWestland chopper deal, Defence Minister AK Antony is scheduled to make a statement on AgustaWestland chopper deal at 2 pm.

Other issues

Shiromani Akali Dal members targeted Congress on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots following a television interview by party’s vice-president Rahul Gandhi in which he admitted to involvement of a few Congressmen in the riots. They wanted day-to-day trial of pending cases against Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler.

Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal said, "People have lost belief in the Congress and the BJP. They are looking for a better alternative."

This session, which is the second phase of the Winter Session, is set to conclude on February 21.