History of Telengana Struggle

Telangana clears Parliament hurdle
with a dash of pepper, and plenty of chaos
Table of contents Telangana passed by Parliament

Passed in Rajya Sabha, Telangana Bill now awaits Presidents nod Twitter goes after Derek OBrien for creating ruckus during PMs speech Celebrations outside Parliament after Telangana Bill passed Can Seemandhra, Telangana MPs join hands for Andhra? Telangana ruckus in RS: Only Chiranjeevi got to speak Lok Sabha blackout: Behave yourself India, the world is still watching Why suspending Lok Sabha TV isnt death of democracy Black-out in Lok Sabha has lowered dignity of Parl: Yogendra Yadav Why Lok Sabha TV was off: No video signal received from cameras 04 06 08 10 12 14 15 17 18
The politics of the creation of Telangana

Telangana shame: Voice vote gross violation of Parliament rule How Sushma, Modi, RSS bypassed Advani to push Telangana Bill Telangana fall-out: Kiran Reddy resigns as Andhra CM, quits Cong Seemandhra shuts down to protest passing of Telangana bill What you missed in LS blackout: Who said what while passing Telangana bill 20 21 23 24 25
Why the Congress can take no pride in creation of new state

Passage of Telangana: How Cong, BJP sold democracy for votes Why Telangana tangle is UPAs biggest shame Pepper spraying Parliament: How Congress is using subterfuge for law making 27 30 33
Pepper sprayed: Parliamentary proceedings hit historic low

Anti Telangana MP uses pepper spray in LS after Shinde tables bill Who is L Rajagopal the MP who used pepper spray in the Lok Sabha? Pepper spray in Parliament: Who is desecrating Indian culture now Timeline: The chaos in LS that ended in pepper spray and tears If women can use pepper spray for self-defence why cant I, asks L Rajagopal Telangana Bill: L Rajagopal resigns from LS, quits politics 36 37 39 41 42 43
Telangana and the questions it raises about our MPs

Watch how TDP MP Ramesh roughs up Rajya Sabha Secy General Pepper spray now, what next. Will our MPs ever get serious? Telangana Bill: Why the big fuss over House decorum? 45 47 49
Copyright 2012 Firstpost
Telangana passed by Parliament
Bill now awaits Presidents nod

PTI, Feb 20, 2014
Passed in Rajya Sabha, Telangana
ew Delhi: Telangana is all set to become 29th state of the Union with the Parliament tonight approving the historic bill to carve it out of Andhra Pradesh amid vociferous protests by members from Seemandhra region as also from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena.
A protective cordon was thrown around Singh as well as Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde by Congress members as members from the Seemandhra region as also those from TMC and Shiv Sena stormed the Well with TMC members even tearing papers and throwing them on the floor. CPI-M members walked out in protest. The House looked like a virtual battle-ground during the five-hour proceedings, which saw seven adjournments as members resorted to slogan shouting and tore papers describing the bill passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday as illegal. The debate also saw the government facing an awkward situation when Union Minister Chiranjeevi, who hails from Seemandhra region, opposed the decision on Telangna inviting ridicule from BJP, which wondered whether a member of the Council of Minister can oppose a decision taken by his own government without resigning from it. As the bill appeared set to be a reality with most of the amendments moved by the BJP either negatived or withdrawn, CPI-M and Trinamool Congress alleged "nexus" between the ruling party and the main Opposition. Minister Jairam Ramesh, who was a key person in the Telangana decision process as a member of the GoM on the issue, repeatedly made brief intervention to assuage the concerns of members on diverse issues. Law Minister Kapil Sibal said time has come to create Telangana. "Time has come to take this historic decision...it is very difficult to satisfy all people of both the regions." Deputy Chairman P J Kurien rejected demands for division taking the plea that there was no order in the House.
The suspense over the passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014 came to an end with BJP backing the government on it despite raising several concerns. Apparently responding to demands from Seemandhra MPs as well as from BJP for "justice" to the region, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a six-point development package for successor states of Andhra Pradesh including grant of special category status including tax incentives to Seemandhra. Congress President Sonia Gandhi's request to the Prime Minister to give a special category status to Seemandhra for five years seems to have apparently clinched the issue and the BJP came on board. "I hope these additional announcements will demonstrate our steadfast commitment to not just the creation of Telangana but also to the continued prosperity and welfare of Seemandhra," Singh noted.
Unlike Lok Sabha, where the bill was passed after a very brief discussion, Rajya Sabha saw a threadbare debate spanning around three hours despite unprecedented protest with anti-Telangana members storming the well with huge placards sometimes even overshadowing the Chair. Similarly, unlike the television black out that was witnessed during the proceedings in Lok Sabha, there was no such "technical glitch" on the Rajya Sabha TV, which telecast the proceedings live.
creation of Telangana. But we want a lawful and legally sustainable bill be passed." "I am deeply disappointed the way the UPA government has done the creation exercise," he said, highlighting expulsion of members in the other House, the state assembly rejecting the proposal and others.
Replying to Naidu's concerns regarding the resource gap arising between the notified date and appointed date for creation of Telangana, both Shinde and Ramesh assured him that Government will take care of that and quoted the Prime Commotion and high drama continued through- Minister's statement in this regard. out the proceedings with Congress member KVP Ramchandra Rao staging a sit in into the In his statement, the Prime Minister noted that Well and Trinamool members shouting "tear the resource gap arising in the successor state and throw away". of Andhra Pradesh in the very first year will be compensated in the Regular Union Budget for There was no suspension of any member from 2014-15. the House of the Elders today unlike what happened in Lok Sabha, where as many as 16 SeeThis gap may arise during the period between mandhra members belonging to various parties the appointed day and the acceptance of the faced action. 14th Finance Commission recommendations by the Government of India. BJP, which supported the bill also demanded that Seemandhra region got justice and a "deConcerns were also raised during the debate fective" legislation was not passed. over Polavaram project, which Ramesh sought to explain. The principal Opposition party also deplored government for badly handling the passage Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) said, "There is matchof the bill without taking the stakeholders on fixing between the ruling party and the Opposiboard. tion" adding that the Chair should not get into such match fixing. "Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are both brothers and are Telugu speaking. Telangana people Trinamool Congress members kept shouting want Telangana, we are saying yes...We are not "Congress-BJP bhai, bhai". dividing the country, we are only dividing a state for speedy development," Naidu said. Trinamool Congress is concerned about the fall out of the Telangana decision on Gorakhaland Naidu blamed Congress for delaying creation of issue. The hilly region of West Bengal is seeking Telangana and playing "vote-bank" and "oppor- separate statehood for long. tunistic" politics on the issue and said it is the "real culprit" in this whole process. Similarly in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena has been staunchly opposed to any division of the state, He also sought amendments to give special where demands for creation of Vidarbha are category status to Seemandhra and adequate raised occasionally. financial package to address the revenue loss of the region. Supporting his colleague, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley said, "We are in favour of
for creating ruckus during PMs speech

FP Staff Feb 21, 2014 rinamool Congress MPs led By Derek O'Brien created a complete chaos in the Rajya Sabha yesterday while the Telangana Bill was being passed. The TMC MP tore papers and threw them at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as he made his speech. Meanwhile, O'Brien kept shouting, 'Congress, BJP bhai, bhai' in the Rajya Sabha. Congress leaders stepped forward and made a protective ring around the Prime Minister even as the TMC continued its attack. Twitterati was quite disappointed with O'Brien's antics. The TMC leader is very active on the social media site and has often been seen as one of the saner, more accessible political voices in India. He has often commented on burning political issues and was one of those who has often decried the ruckus in the house.
Twitter goes after Derek OBrien
So to see him being an active part of these very same agitations, throwing paper at the Prime Minister of the country, has shocked to say the least. India's Twitter community lost no time in voicing just what they felt about the TMC Minister's actions. At the time of writing this report, he had not responded to any of the tweets criticising him or even sought to justify or explain his behaviour. But an hour before the Telangana bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha, O Brien tweeted, 'At 4pm today tune into RS TV... It just might become Reality Shame TV #Telangana." Clearly, he was the one of those actively turning the house into a Reality Shame TV. Here are some of the reactions:
Celebrations outside Parliament
after Telangana Bill passed
New Delhi: BJP workers celebrate with crackers after the passage of Telangana Bill in the Rajya Sabha, at Andhra Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI
Hyderabad: TRS activists celebrate after the passage of Telangana Bill in the Rajya Sabha, in Hyderabad on Thursday. PTI Photo
New Delhi: Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh is greeted by Hanumantharao after the passage of Telangana Bill in the Rajya Sabha in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI Photo
New Delhi: Hanumantharao and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi flash victory sign after the passage of Telangana Bill in the Rajya Sabha in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI Photo
Can Seemandhra, Telangana MPs
join hands for Andhra?

FP Politics Feb 21, 2014 had taken a heavy toll on the Telugu people as a whole. Telangana Rashtriya Samithi MLA KT Rama Rao expressed happiness over the creation of Telangana and thanked all the political parties who supported the bill.
learly deviating from an atmosphere of no love lost till a couple of days back, there now seems to be a conscious effort from political leaders of both Seemandhra and Telangana to unite the Telugu people, in the wake of the passage of the Telangana bill. A clear realisation has dawned that there need to be an end to this division among the people if both the states were to prosper. "Once it was passed in Lok Sabha I already knew there was no stopping to it. Now it is the time to work for the unity of the Telugu people and prosper jointly. I was never against Telugu people but with the manner it was done," former Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal told CNN-IBN. Rajagopal came to the fore recently for using pepper spray inside the Lok Sabha which was seen by many as act of complete disregard to the sanctity of Parliament. "There are deep wounds that have been created and should be healed. The scars should be erased," Rajagopal said explaining how the struggle between Telangana and Seemandhra
"Most people considered it a mission impossible. We are eternally thankful to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj. I would also like to thank Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati and others. It is definitely a once in a life time moment and I am happy to be around," Rao told CNN-IBN. "The world's largest democracy should celebrate Telangana. It also makes it clear that if a demand is made in a democratic way however big it may be it gets fulfilled," he said. The TRS leader said that there should not be vehement opposition to the creation of new states just based on the fear that newer demands
might crop up or in the apprehension that it will lead to unfathomable situations. "Back in 2003 when the National Democratic Alliance formed three states neither did the heavens fall down nor did the earth shatter. If the demands are constitutional they should be fulfilled accordingly," he said. But Rao admitted that reasons behind the creation of Telangana were also very much political and the parties would reap benefit out of it. "There is no wrong if political dividends are gained by Congress and BJP when they had put in such an effor towards the creation of the state. What is wrong with it? There is a political angle and there is no hiding about it," Rao said. The TDP leader also extended a friendly hand towards the people of Seemandhra.
"I am happy that the Union government conceded and agreed to give Seemandhra a large financial package. And Rajagopal need not worry at all about his safety or for that matter about the safety of any person of Seemandhra residing in Telangana. Leaders like Rajagopal need to stay in politics and help the new state grow," Rao said in an appeal to the former MP as he had announced earlier that he will leave politics if Telangana bill was cleared by Parliament. However, the Congress leader planned to charter a different path altogether away from politics. "I am never concerned about my own safety. I resigned as MP yesterday and I am not going back to business. I will quit politics and will focus on social activities to end the bitterness among the Telugu people," Rajagopal said.
Only Chiranjeevi got to speak

Mahesh Vijapurkar Feb 21, 2014 low point in yesterdays Rajya Sabha, which enacted the Telangana Act, was when Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs voice was drowned by the N0, no chant of the Trinamool MPs. When he stood up, four MPs, two of them women, all from the treasury benches came forward and stood in front of him, acting as a human shield. The women, apparently were there to deter any physical lunge towards the PM.
Telangana ruckus in RS:
amendment to the Constitution here and now to enable policing to be under a governor, which under current provisions cannot be, had no idea what the prime minister was saying. Venkaiah Naidu (BJP) was at a loss to know if the five years that was mentioned was about the joint sharing of the capital or the tenure of the proposed special assistance. They could not hear a thing. In comparison, K Chiranjeevi from Andhra Pradesh received better courtesy when he got up. He beseeched that he be heard, because it was his maiden speech. The tradition is that newbies are encouraged and can even read a speech. Others can only refer to their notes. For a while it was pin drop silence, not afforded to any other speaker during the proceedings. And yes, elected in April 2012, and as a Minister of State for tourism, it was his maiden speech. Perhaps his interventions in the House he belonged responses to questions, etc. are apparently not treated as a speech. Probably, his peers from Andhra Pradesh knew he was going to slam the government. He even said, I am speaking against my party. There were, at least on TV, no red faces seen. When the Lok Sabha had converted the Bill to provide statehood for Telangana into an Act, it was an off-camera event. The claims as of now unsettled that it was a technical glitch and not a deliberate turning off of the transmission remain unsettled. The precise parts of the dramatic events are not known. Yesterdays theatrics in Rajya Sabha, where those wanting to preserve the state as it is, refusing to accept the residual Seemandhra, was not educating. It could possibly clue us in to what could have happened in the Lok Sabha. An MP, Asaduddin Owaisi has claimed publicly that even audio recordings were not done. We dont know if we will ever get a fully pixelated
After the pepper spraying in Lok Sabha earlier, anything could have happened, because our law-makers seem to be set on creating new lows. No one within the House, amid the din, could hear what the soft-spoken prime minister said, so much so that Jairam Ramesh was twice seen walking to the Opposition benches with a copy of the PMs statement. Arun Jaitley got the PMs original statement. The well was littered with torn papers believed to be copies of the Bill, some of them thrown towards the PM. Placard carrying members positioned themselves in front of MPs trying to make themselves heard so they could be caught by the cameras. Every time a member stood up, the noisy brigade moved around. It was a well orchestrated but an unbecoming sight. The BJP which was willing to even agree to an
picture of what transpired. What struck those who were able to watch the live telecast of the Rajya Sabha proceedings was the helplessness of the presiding officer, Deputy Chairman, PJ Kurien. He twice declined to agree to a division because of the unruly situation. How can I? The ruckus in the well of the House, he said, prevented him from allowing a division. At least two MPs made this demand. First, it was Venkaiah Naidu, a BJP front-bencher. After several valiant attempts, he gave up. The came CPMs Sitaram Yechurys turn, who refused to buy the contention that due to the commotion, no division could be held. The presiding officers business is to keep the house in order. Yes, said Kurien, but it is also the responsibility of the members. The Left walked out, calling the proceedings undemocratic, which was closer to the truth than the Andhra MPs who screamed their way through the day, saying that the Bill itself was illegal. That the House was in a hurry was
evident. Naidu even asked, Why the hurry? The house was clearly not in the control of the deputy chairman. NK Singh even walked out because he said there was no point in participating in the debate. There perhaps is no precedent of this kind in the history of parliament, save bar the Lok Sabha on that peppery day to avoid a division. A division is when the doors are closed, and members remain in their seats and cast their votes from there. Till the counts are unannounced, the doors to the lobbies remain shut. The fish market situation prevented this from happening. Mohammed Adeeb, another MP, instead of talking about the Bill under consideration, preferred to, and rightly so, talked about how the Rajya Sabhas proceedings, clouded by the conduct of the MPs themselves drew adverse attention of the world. He was worried about the image of the House and its members and the speech was brief, but pointed. It appeared that what he said was as if something was mentioned in passing.
Lok Sabha blackout: Behave yourself India,
the world is still watching

Anant Rangaswami Feb 18, 2014 ehave yourself, India, the youth are watching, said a commercial for The Hindu. broken, papers are flung. The lecturer, meanwhile, says something, lost in the din of the shouting by the students. Those uninvolved in the fracas are busy recording the event on their camera phones. The din is muted, giving way to music. "Behave yourself, India. The youth are watching," says a slate. Take a look at the commercial here. Today, Lok Sabha TV decided not to broadcast the proceedings in the house as the Telengana Bill was being discussed, a decision based, doubtless, on the goings-on in the parliament when MPs fought and even used pepper spray on each other.
"Today, well have a political discussion on the Rural Development Bill. Those on my left will speak in favour of the motion and those on my right will speak against it and I want proper parliamentary behaviour. So let's start," says the lecturer to a classroom full of students in a new television commercial for The Hindu. The first speaker rises and begins to speak. Before he can finish the first sentence, members of the team opposing his position descend on him and theres pandemonium. Students are scuffling with each other, chairs are thrown and
If MPs ever saw The Hindu commercial, they have decided, it seems, and sadly so, to follow the advice that the commercial doles out. If the youth are not to ape our members of parliament, the powers that be seem to have decided not to improve their own behaviour but to prevent the youth, and the rest of the world, from witnessing how badly they behave. Today is a sad day in Indias history. And live telecast or not, its not just the youth but the whole world which will be watching.
Why suspending Lok Sabha TV
isnt death of democracy

Lakshmi Chaudhry & Sandip Roy, Feb 18, 2014
"T
oday is a black day in the history of this country. We have seen with our own eyes how democracy could be killed in broad daylight. TV channels were shut off, Lok Sabha live telecast was cut off," declared an impassioned Jaganmohan Reddy. The sentiment was echoed on twitter where many were quick to declare this an instance of jackboot censorship.
cided to create a 24X7 channel to live broadcast the proceedings in Parliament back in 2006. That move toward greater openness was indeed significant. And shutting down Lok Sabha TV would certainly constitute a giant step backwards for Indian democracy. But canceling a single broadcast in the wake of hugely unseemly behaviour in the Lower House is hardly the end of transparency. Two, Indian democracy has far bigger problems. Jagan Reddy claims today was a black day for our nation, the truth is that there have been far blacker days in the past 5 years. Whether its Karnataka legislators holed up in the Golden Palms Hotel and Spa in case their chief minister was asked to step up down after a multi-crore mining scam report or lawmakers whiling away their time in assembly watching porn on their mobile phones, the behaviour of our legislators is hardly a glowing testament to the robust health of our politics. Besides, in a country with such a chequered political history, turning off the Lok Sabha television channel for a few hours hardly constitutes "murder". At best, the evening news will suffer for the lack of visuals of bedlam, but our long-suffering democracy has greater crises at hand. Three, the TV cameras hardly promoted democratic behaviour. Surely one reason for unveiling Lok Sabha TV was the fond hope that our parliamentarians would be on their best behaviour in front of a camera. After all, children may be watching and we do not want impressionable minds to think Parliament was some desi version of Animal House. This hope, unfortunately, has not panned out. TV instead turned parliament into a reality show a la Politicians Gone Wild with our leaders breaking mikes, shredding paper, flinging files. The pepper spray incident was perhaps a greater low for parliamentary democracy than today's suspension of broadcast. The television blackout is obviously a
The decision to suspend the telecast was not exactly a blow for transparency. But it isn't the end of democracy, either. This isn't exactly the equivalent of Indira Gandhi asking President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed to declare Emergency. The House Speaker's decisiontaken with the assent of Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj was, at worst, bad politics. A stupid decision that has inflamed an already incendiary situation, and ensured there will be no closure despite the passing of the bill. And made stupider by Lok Sabha TV head to now pretend it was just a technical glitch. That said, Indian democracy is still alive and well. And here are 5 reasons why. One, there was democracy before Lok Sabha TV. Hard as it may be to believe, our democracy was alive and well long before the government de-
blow to an ideal of transparency but our politicians have demonstrated that being on candid camera does not make them behave any better. Four, this isn't a blow against democracy but yet another self-goal by the UPA. Reports say Meira Kumar consulted opposition leaders before deciding to turn off the switch. Given L Rajagopal's antics, the shared hope on both sides of the aisle was that the MPs would tone down the camera-hogging histrionics, and actually vote instead. But in the classic UPA style of bungling, the government has now made the inevitably passing of an already contentious bill look like a sinister cover-up. Its not like the outcome of the bill was ever in doubt. BJP and BSP had declared their support for the creation of Telangana. The angry Andhra MPs knew their drama would not change the final outcome -- which is what made them angrier. But now the Congress has made them free speech, or at least free telecast martyrs. The action only makes the Congress look weak and unable to control its own MPs. Worse, it's
allowed its many critics to dub its leader Sonia Gandhi as worse than Hitler. Five, let a 1,000 conspiracies bloom. For all the cries of censorship, it isn't as though we won't know what happened in Parliament. What with MPs rushing out to speak to reporters, we had a near blow by blow account -- with or without the cameras. But now everyone who was present can safely offer their very own version of exactly what went down -- without fear of embarrasing video that may prove otherwise. We are now saddled with the parliamentary version of Rashomon, with each protagonist free to offer their very own tale, tall or otherwise. And that's what they will do -- on television, in the newspapers, at political rallies. The bill may have been passed, but by blacking out its passage, UPA has ensured that Telangana will remain forever alive. There's only one bit of good news in all of this. L Rajagopal has since announced his exit from politics. Maybe those cameras are useful, after all.
Black-out in Lok Sabha has

lowered dignity of Parl: Yogendra Yadav
Vishwas Waghmode Feb 18, 2014 to telecast, said AAP leader Yogendra Yadav in Mumbai on Tuesday evening. Yadav said that all the political parties are responsible for the issue of Telangana as they are playing politics with the issue over the years. But, the Congress should be held responsible for it. Because, it had, in its manifesto in 2004, assured to carve out Telanagana and it took ten years for it and let the people suffer, alleged Yadav. He added that AAP was blamed by the political parties, few years back, for bringing down the dignity of the parliament due to the proetests and Morchas. But, it is not the protests or Morchas that bring down the dignity of the parliament but the act or behavior of the parliamentarians inside the parliament brings down the dignity, said Yadav. The incident has lowered the dignity of the parliament. The leaders of the political parties seem to have frightened at the behavior of its parliamentarians. They might be doing something of which the leaders might have felt not Meanwhile, the statement issued by the Lok Sabha said that the black-out was neither intentional and indicates that it wasn't ordered by Speaker Meira Kumar. It was a technical fault.
he Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that the today's black-out in the Lok Sabha has brought down the dignity of the parliament. The live telecast of the Lok Sabha TV was suspended while passing the Telangana bill in the Lok Sabha today afternoon.
No video signal received from cameras

PTI, Feb 19, 2014
Why Lok Sabha TV was off:
ew Delhi: Failure to receive signals from the nine automatic cameras in Lok Sabha resulted in the blackout of Lok Sabha TV during the crucial proceedings for passage of the Telangana bill, a probe has found.
Adjourned' during that period. However, this was not the case as the proceedings were going on inside the House. Some time later, the display changed to 'Live from Lok Sabha shortly'. But it never happened and the bill was passed and the House was adjourned after 90 minutes of proceedings. Mishra, who had ordered a probe into the technical problem, said the glitch was rectified after an affected cable was changed at 1 AM today. He said the audio feed of the proceedings during the snag period will be uploaded on Lok Sabha as well as LS TV websites tomorrow. Mishra said after the snag he had called an emergency meeting of the technical personnel and sought a report by today.
The probe was ordered into the 90-minute blackout on Lok Sabha TV yesterday when the controversial bill was taken up. As soon as the Telangana Bill was taken up for consideration at around 3 pm yesterday and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde started speaking, the live telecast had stopped, perhaps for the first time. CEO of Lok Sabha TV Rajiv Mishra told PTI today that the problem occurred as the signals from the cameras were not received in the mixer room located in Room No 50 in Parliament House from where the channel gets live feed. He said while the audio feed was coming, the video feed was not. Lok Sabha TV, which broadcasts the live coverage of all the proceedings, displayed 'House
Earlier in the day, BJP condemned the blackout of Lok Sabha TV coverage and passed a resolution against it. The blackout was planned and not a technical glitch as has been claimed by the Lok Sabha Secretariat yesterday, the BJP Parliamentary Party said. The Parliamentary Party meeting, chaired by LK Advani, demanded that the proceedings be shown live when the bill is taken up in Rajya Sabha. "A resolution has been passed by the party, saying the blackout was planned and not a technical glitch. This is in a way a disregard for democracy and democratic traditions were destroyed so that the country should not see the debate on the issue," the party's Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
The politics of the creation of Telangana
Telangana shame: Voice vote

gross violation of Parliament rule
Soumik Mukherjee Feb 19, 2014
any are describing the government's decision to pass the Telangana bill by a voice vote and black out the telecast of the proceedings as the death of democracy. Particularly controversial is the Lok Sabha speaker's decision to move ahead with a voice vote instead of the division vote as demanded by the opposing voices. "A voice vote can only be held with the consent of all the members in the house," says Subhash C Kashyap, a former Secretary General of the Indian Parliament and a honorary advisor to the government of India on legal issues. "Even if one member doesn't give his or her consent in favour of a voice vote, then the house cannot proceed with a voice vote but it has to go for a division vote," says the veteran parliament expert. A voice vote or as it is called in Hindi, a muh zubaan is a process of voting where the Speaker calls out to the members of the house and asks for their consent. When a motion is put to vote, the speaker says, Those in the favour of the motion say Aye and those opposing it say No. According to the voice vote, the speaker then decides whether the Bill has been accepted or rejected by the House. "But a voice vote can only be held in case there is a unanimous demand for a voice vote. Any form of opposition to it will result into a division vote, which means there will be voting by machine. But in this case we don't know anything that happened on the floor yesterday. As it was blacked out, nothing is in public domain," says Kashyap. "The way it has been done yesterday is shameful. In an age of connectivity, when every single democratic proceeding is presented in front of the country, an act like this is highly condemnable," says Ali Anwar Ansari, a JD(U) MP in Rajya Sabha. "The Congress party which claims all the credit for passing the Right to Information
act has blacked out the event from being telecast. what can be a bigger instance of hypocrisy for them?" The veteran politician, however, is no less angry at the BJP. "The chief opposition party acted as though it's a part of the ruling coalition," he says. The Bharatiya Janta Party, however, has tried deflect any responsibility for yesterday's decision. "The Congress party is now passing law even ignoring popular demand in the House. And the arrogance is visible when they black out the telecast," declared BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi. But a BJP MP, who wished to remain unnamed, told Firstpost that the opposition could not take a stronger stand in the Lower House yesterday as it would have been politically risky. "The idea of voice vote sounds very much like a kangaroo court and the popular sentiment in the party also lies with the demands of Seemandhra people, but the BJP seemed to have not taken a stand that portrays it in a anti-Telangana light," he says, pointing out that "after all, the proceeding for Telangana as a separate state was initiated during the BJP's tenure in the government. The BJP as a party has always stood by the cause of smaller states, and Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and, Chattisgarh are the proof." "The pepper spay attack was highly disgusting, but the voice vote and blacking out of the event is scary. The pepper spray attack was carried out by an individual, but this one was committed by a ruling government. The system in place is responsible for such acts," said an MP of Rashtriya Lok Dal, which is a UPA-II ally. However, whatever wrong was committed yesterday can no longer be undone. According to the rules of the parliament, the House is the supreme authority whose judgement cannot be challenged once it is passed.
How Sushma, Modi, RSS bypassed
Advani to push Telangana Bill

FP Politics Feb 19, 2014 ushma Swaraj wants to be Telanganas chinamma. could not go back on its word. Party leaders including Advani had made the promise years ago including his 1997 Swarna Jayanti Yatra. The BJP had in fact gone on record promising Telangana within 100 days of coming to power. The Hindu had reported that while addressing the Telangana Praja Garjana public meeting in September, Swaraj had reiterated that the BJP would not take a U-turn on Telangana, even in its dreams, irrespective of who it tied up with on the political front. She had also threatened to come back to Hyderabad to either celebrate the Telangana victory or take part personally in the second round of mass agitation if the Centre goes back on its word.
While you give credit to Sonia-amma, dont forget to give credit to this chinamma (little mother).
Heres one silver lining to the black day in Indian democracy when mysterious technical problems knocked Lok Sabha Television out just as the government pushed through the Telangana bill. At least television viewers were spared cringeinducing statements like that one from Sushma Swaraj. Swaraj, the Telegraph reports, has finally come out of LK Advanis shadow with the Telangana bill. Advani as is well known was keen on a discussion on the bill instead of pushing it through. The BJP was trying to walk the fine line between supporting the bill but opposing the way it was being passed. However the time for such nuances was well past. BJP sources told The Telegraph, Advani was overruled and it was Sushma Swaraj who vociferously made the point that the BJP
The BJP was in no position to accommodate Advanis misgivings. The leaders felt Advani was unduly influenced by the partys Seemandhra representatives. Five central ministers from Andhra Pradesh, including Chiranjeevi, Pallam Raju and Purandeswari, had met Advani and asked him to oppose the bill. Jagan Reddy had told NDTV "We will support anyone who helps us keep Andhra Pradesh united and Narendra Modi is not an exception." Modi had given some hope to the likes of Jagan Reddy. The Deccan Chronicle reports that at a rally in Meerut Modi spoke of his partys concern about how the UPA government had failed to address the issues that were being raised by the people of Seemandhra. BJP Seemandhra leader Kambhampati Haribabu said, Unless 75 percent of our demands are met I dont think the BJP will support the Bill in its present form." But the Modi wing of the party has been quick to claim that the final push to support the bill
came from Narendra Modi himself. It was his phone call that tipped the balance reports the Hindustan Times. Modi had met with TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu who had told him that the BJP leaderships statements were sending out conflicting signals. Naidu wanted to clarify what the BJPs stand was before hammering out a pre-poll pact with the party. It was Modis phone call to party leaders on Sunday that prompted the three-hour meeting at LK Advanis house say party sources. Despite Advanis reluctance, the BJP, at least on the floor of the house claimed party unity. "There was clear division inside the Congress party and their MPs were not listening to their Prime Minister and party president Sonia Gandhi. There was no division in our party over Telangana, asserted Swaraj. She went out of her way to say Advani was not opposed to the bill, just sad about the fracas in Parliament, painting him even more as the BJPs Bhishma figure. But Sheela Bhatt reports on Rediff.com , that Advani did demonstrate his dissent clearly when the various amendments were carried forward. He did not stand up for the head count. Bhatt says the BJP was in fact caught unawares by the Congress actually taking up the bill and pushed into a corner. Bhatt writes: Sushma Swaraj looked dwarfed by the game played by Congress. It was Asaduddin Owaisi
of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen who moved amendments and rose to talk about people of Andhra Pradesh. He moved amendments that made sense. But, the BJP was looking dumb. Some of the BJPs amendments were incorporated in the final draft of the bill but not all. This is contrast to BJP leader Venkaiah Naidus earlier bluster as reported by the Deccan Chronicle when he said, The Telangana Ball is in the Congress court. We have already submitted our concerns on the Bill. Let us see how the Congress is going to bring amendments to the Bill, we will respond then. It will now be left to Arun Jaitley to do some face-saving in the Rajya Sabha by talking about a revenue package to pacify the Seemandhra lobby and promise justice to them at least in economic terms if the NDA comes to power. So was it Modi or was it Swaraj who made the final call? Perhaps neither, according to The Telegraph . It quotes BJP sources as saying the directive from RSS was clear. The RSS is in favour of small states and said Telangana therefore had to be supported without ifs and buts. For now Sushma Swarajs supporters will be claiming credit for her for holding the party together unlike the Congress' implosion. Of course the tragedy for poor Chinamma is that she came out of Advanis shadow into a television blackout.
Telangana fall-out: Kiran Reddy resigns as Andhra CM, quits Cong

FP Politics Feb 19, 2014
ollowing weeks-long deliberations and vehement bouts of protest, Congress leader and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy today resigned from the post of the CM and quit the party. The Congress-led UPA had hurriedly passed the Bill that attributes statehood to Telangana on Tuesday evening and it was being speculated that Reddy would quit immediately in retaliation.
that his heart was bleeding over disruption in Parliament. But, the misery of Telugu people won't cause him pain," he charged. In the press conference, where he announced his resignation, Reddy accused the Congress and the BJP of joining hands to hurt and separate the people of Andhra Pradesh. "Injustice has been done to the people. Division of state won't help both the regions. This bill was rejected by the Andhra Pradesh assembly. Even the live telecast was stopped. It was undemocratic. A bill rejected the by the assembly has been passed," he said. "What kind of democracy is this? Both Congress and BJP joined hands to betray Telugu people. I strongly condemn it," he added. He alleged that the vote bank politics of the major parties have led to the division of Andhra Pradesh. "For seats and votes Telugu people have been divided. I condemn it," he told the assembled media. He also attacked the Congress and said that Telangana was created simply for vote bank politics. "Every norm has been violated. The bifurcation has been done in a highly undemocratic manner," he added. The former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh also declared that he doesn't care about anything else but the interests of the Telugu people.
In fact, Reddy had sat on a dharna in Delhi and sent out feelers that he would quit as the CM in protest three days back when the Telangana Bill reached the Lok Sabha. "I can't continue. I am resigning from the posts of CM, MLA and membership of the Congress party," he said while quitting. He lashed out at the entire Congress high command, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "PM said
Seemandhra shuts down to

protest passing of Telangana bill
IANS, Feb 19, 2014 yderabad: Normal life in Rayalaseema and coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh came to a halt Wednesday on a shutdown call by YSR Congress party to protest the manner in which the bill for formation of separate Telangana state was passed in Lok Sabha. called for the shutdown. Seemandhra leaders of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also called for a general strike. Activists of the two parties and others opposing state's bifurcation took to streets since early morning, laying siege to APSRTC depots and staging blockades on national and state highways. Protestors shouted against the UPA government and burnt effigies of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The shutdown is total in Vijayawada, Guntur, Visakhapatnam, Ongole, Srikakulam, Kakinada, Rajahmundry, Nellore, Tirupati, Kadapa, Anantapur, Kurnool and other towns in Seemandhra. Police tightened security across the region since Tuesday, when Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill was passed in Lok Sabha amid pandemonium. State police and central paramilitary forces were deployed to prevent any outbreak of violence. Meanwhile, universities and other educational institutions in Seemandhra postponed various examinations in view of the shutdown.
Shops, business establishments and educational institutions remained closed while buses of state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) went off the roads in all 13 districts of Seemandhra, as the two regions are collectively called. Terming the passage of Telangana bill in Lok Sabha 'murder of democracy', YSR Congress has
What you missed in LS blackout:

Who said what while passing Telangana bill
FP Politics Feb 19, 2014 While Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar may have suspended Lok Sabha television during the passing of the contentious Telangana bill, the government has released the official record of what happened inside the lower House on Tuesday. While the record will obviously not carry the protests by opposing MPs, the document details voting on each of the 62 amendments in the bill, which comes up in Rajya Sabha today.
Read it all here.
Why the Congress can take no pride in creation of new state
Passage of Telangana: How Cong,
BJP sold democracy for votes

Sanjay Singh Feb 19, 2014 n its last day of session, the 15th Lok Sabha created history in many ways. cratically.
The custodians of the temple of democracy have told the nation that lawmaking on a subject as serious as the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh that sends 42 MPs to the Lok Sabha, is nothing more than a joke of an authoritarian regime, where those representing the will of the people of that region were either thrown out of the House, or not given even a few seconds to put their dissent on record.
The Lok Sabha secretariat want people at large to believe that not letting MPs speak, blacking out live telecast, marshals all around, closed doors, refusal to hear voices of dissent, not letting any division or vote on amendments as is prescribed in the rule book and not allowing any debate on merits of the bill is 'democratic'. That the bulldozing of the Telangana bill through a determined push by the government whose credibility quotient was at its lowest in its last days in office, was 'democratic'. India of 2014 does not wait for an official release to make an opinion. The powers that be, however, were correct in their assessment that a repeat telecast of what had transpired in the house would have been hugely embarrassing for the ruling Congress because of the manner in which it forced its decision. The Congresss design behind this last minute push after consciously delaying it for the last 10 years was understandable. But it was majoritarianism of the worst kind where the main opposition party BJP considered it self incumbent to support the ruling party, so as to be in the reckoning for votes and some seats in the new Telangana state, even if the manner in which the bill was being passed was in complete disregard of parliamentary practices. The passage of the bill took place amid an emergency like situation inside Parliament and what can only be described as a war like situation outside, with areas around Parliament House converted into a garrison town. The custodians of Parliament and law enforcement agencies feared its own people and were thus completely out of bounds. What did the BJP achieve by supporting passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill in this highly questionable manner? Not even
To ensure that the outside world did not watch the farcical proceedings and see for themselves the manner in which the voices of the minority would be muzzled, Lok Sabha TV, which acts under the direct command and control of Lok Sabha secretariat, blacked out the telecast. A late evening statement issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat is most interesting. It read as follows: "The proceedings of the Lok Sabha could not be telecast live by Lok Sabha Television due to technical problems when the House assembled at 15-00 hrs on 18 February, 2014. The CEO LSTV is probing into it. It is unfortunate that people were unable to watch the live telecast of the passage of this bill which was done demo-
their most articulate leaders have been able to explain. Lower down the order, several leaders and workers are questioning the wisdom of their leadership in so blindly supporting the Congresss blatant political push to secure some seats in the region where they otherwise faced a complete rout. That too when their Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi kept shouting at the top of his voice that country needed a Congress Mukt Bharat. Modi had cited the ongoing conflict in Seemandhra and Telengana as yet another manifestation of Congresss divide and rule politics.
Leader of Opposition Sushma Swarajs statement (one of two other persons who got a chance to speak in the din) in the House is no less interesting:
I would also like to say that this Bill has got a legal lacuna. This Bill, in violation of constitutional provisions, is giving certain powers to the Governor which could only be given after making necessary amendments to the Constitution. Our party had made it clear to the Government that even if they brought in a Constitution Amendment Bill in place of an ordinary Bill, our party would still support it and would ensure that the Constitution Amendment Bill is passed but a Bill with legal lacuna should not be But BJP leaders in New Delhi had other ideas brought.Our party will not only support the about Congress. The party simply joined the rul- Bill but will also vote in favour of this Bill as this ing party in the chorus. is a question of our credibility.The BJP will support it and will also ensure that the Bill is Interestingly, only a day ago, finance minister passed. P Chidambaram, the Congress partys most articulate voice, while presenting the interim The question is why she and her party supportbudget had said: Democracy acknowledges ed a bill, which she acknowledges is constitudiversity, respects dissent, encourages debate, tionally flawed and as several others pointed out and decides through a government of elected could be struck down by the Apex Court. representatives. Neither populism nor majoritarianism nor individualism is an alternative In the end it all boiled down to votes and who way of governance. could have how much share in the resultant in 17 seats that were going to be created in the new He had said this to target Modi, but ended being state, and who could lure the Telangana Rashtra an ironic description of the Congress style of Samiti (TRS) the Congress or the BJP. functioning. The BJP obviously had neither not taken an offence to Chidambarams words nor As it was, the BJP didnt have much at stake in had appreciated the virtues of what he had said. terms of numbers in the Seemandhra region. But the days pearl of wisdom came from the man who piloted the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde. After thanking UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for fulfilling her 2004 promise to create Telangana, he said he found nothing unusual in the manner in which this bill was passed. He justified it by saying Aisi cheez hoti rehti hai (these things keep on happening) and he cited his 40 years of experience in politics to suggest that it was alright for the Lok Sabha to legislate in this fashion. A statement that is all the more telling when you note that that Shinde is also the Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha. The Congress leadership is hoping that they will be able to merge with the TRS. Party leaders from Telangana are boasting that they will win all 17 parliamentary seats from the new state and also form the new government. The state will go to the polls simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. In 2009, P Chidambaram who was then union Home Minister, announced that the UPA was starting the process of creating Telangana, but the Congress party and UPA government sat on the issue for a full five years for the simple reason that a mid course decision could otherwise have jeopardised continuance of both the governments central and the state.
With election schedules set to be announced in the next week or so, these numbers no longer matter. Andhra Pradesh had given the Congress party maximum numbers of MPs both in UPA1 and in UPA2. But Jaganmohan Reddys rising popularity in Andhra has forced Congress to review its Telangana card. Now Congress will be decimated in Seeamndhra but could gain thanks to good numbers in Telangana. Its real politik gambit may well pay off.
Today the Rajya Sabha will go through Telangana motion, perhaps in the same way as Lok Sabha went a day ago. It will all happen around the time Seemandhra observes a total bandh on a call given by Jaganmohan Reddy. The heavy police presence in and around Parliament House reminds visitors of the immediate aftermath of 13 December 2001, when Parliament was attacked by enemies originating from foreign soil. This time its glorious democratic traditions are under attack from inside.
Why Telangana tangle is UPAs
biggest shame
Sanjay Singh Feb 13, 2014
ith just seven working days left in the final Parliament session of the UPA2, there is no clarity yet on how the Telangana bill will be treated. Nobody is even certain if it will be an ordinary bill, a money bill or a Constitutional amendment bill and whether the Congress leadership will be able to tame its MPs when the bill, in whatever form, is finally tabled in Parliament. In fact, the proposed state of Telangana is perhaps the biggest manifestation of the Manmohan Singh government's adhocism and rudderless decision making.
is going to be the biggest challenge this government has so far faced. And that is so not just because the emotive quotient of the Seemandhra MPs including those from the Congress is so high but also because of the arguable legal, technical and detailing flaws the bill contains in its present form. What happened in Lok Sabha on Wednesday was shameful: Four union ministers, K Sambasiva Rao, D Purandeswari, K Chiranjeevi and Kotla Suryaprakash, all belonging to the ruling Congress, trooped into the well of the House and shouted slogans against their own government and disrupted proceedings. No one really cares if Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge missed out on his moment of glory and was forced to cut short his maiden rail budget speech. But it was reflective of the abysmal failure of the ruling partys strategists and floor managers in disciplining its ministers. It also speaks volume of the total erosion of the Congress high commands authority, at least with regard to the Andhra Pradesh unit that sent the highest number of MPs to both UPA1 and UPA2. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was quoted saying to a group of MPs by an informed source, "My heart bleeds at what is happening in the house. It is a sad day for democracy that such things are happening after all the appeals for calm." But who is to be blamed for that? His own cabinet colleague, Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi, blamed the government for the situation. After his unresolved lunch diplomacy with top BJP leaders LK Advani, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley on the subject, Singh also chaired a Cabinet meeting in the evening to sort out some glaring lacunae in the bill. How far these issues have been addressed would be known only after it is tabled in Lok Sabha, possibly today. Ironically, after years of confrontation, the ConCopyright 2012 Firstpost
After days of embarrassing chaos, the only thing that the government has realised is that a bill to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh may be introduced only in Lok Sabha and not in Rajya Sabha as initially attempted. The bifurcation of a state has severe financial implications and as such it amounts to a money bill that should thus originate from the Lok Sabha. With that late realisation has come a host of complications, unending rounds of formal or informal meetings, new queries, fresh drafting and rushing of files back and forth from the Rajya Sabha secretariat to the Parliamentary Affairs ministry to the Home ministry, to PMO, to Rashtrapati Bhavan and to the Lok Sabha secretariat. Incredibly, introducing the Telangana bill in Lok Sabha, the UPA's biggest electoral gamble,
gress leadership is now pinning all its hope on BJPs support to get this critical bill passed in a hurry. For the ruling Congress, the core issue is 17 Parliamentary seats in the proposed Telanagana, where the party can cash in on popular sentiment if it finally succeeds in creating the new state. A virtual obituary of the Congress has already been written in the rest of Andhra. If it fails to create Telangana, then it will be routed in both Seemandhra and Telangana. The BJP realises that by supporting the passage of the bill it will be actually benefitting the Congress in the Telangana region and wishing away whatever little goodwill Modi has generated in Andhra and whatever small organisational base it has created there through years of toil. But the party has committed too far, too much, and for too long on Telangana to be seen to be retreating from there. A BJP leader from Andhra Pradesh told Firstpost: The sign of Congresss cremation in Andhra Pradesh is visible everywhere and known to all. Now if the BJP goes out and supports Congress on the bifurcation of the state, another pyre will be lit alongside the Congresss. It will become instantly untouchable to voters and also to potential allies such as the TDP and YSR Congress. In Telangana region it is the Congress and TRS which will walk away with the credit, at least in the short term. The BJP may only gain in medium or long term. Therefore there is a need to read the fine print carefully when senior BJP leaders speak publicly. LK Advani for instance believes that this is the worst form of law-making that he has seen and has reportedly told a delegation of TDP MPs that the BJP will not support the Bill in its present form. Congress was proposing the defective Bill deliberately knowing that the opposition parties would spike it," Nama Nageswar Rao, the TDP parliamentary party leader, quoted him as saying. At the Prime Ministers lunch, the BJP leaders told him that their stand on Telangana has not changed and asked the government to put its own house in order first as Congress MPs were in the forefront in disrupting Parliament. The BJPs argument is that theissue will need long hours of threadbare discussion and governments ability to take care of the amendments moved by various parties and leaders and also
put that to vote. A most difficult if not an impossible task for the government to perform. Sources said the demands that the BJP leaders placed before the PM included categorical insertion of financial package and provision of infrastructure support to the Seemandhra region, clarity on the status of Hyderabad, control of law and order subject and converting the bill into a Constitutional amendment if the Governor is to control the police and law and order in Hyderabad. There is also confusion with relation to the continuance of the existing Legislative Council of Andhra Pradesh. The most glaring technical flaws in the current bill relate to giving power of policing, law and order of Hyderabad, the joint capital, to the Governor without any existing provision in the Constitution. The BJP and IUML are arguing that giving any such powers to the governor would require a Constitutional amendment, which in turn requires the majority of the total strength of the House and of two-thirds of those present and voting. Under the current circumstances, passage of a Constitutional amendment bill is almost impossible.
Congress leaders are also raising queries about this provision. The Constitution provides that the governor can be in charge of law and order in a UT or in Fifth Schedule Areas (for protection of Scheduled Tribes) or when a state is under President's rule. Since the proposed bill says the governor is to go by the advice of the state Cabinet on all other matters, whether the Governor in the joint capital would follow the advice of Telangana Cabinet or Seemandhra Cabinet is a big question and may be a source of
everyday tripartite tussles. Various leaders are set to move amendments to this effect when the bill is brought for discussion. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley maintains that the BJP has categorically stated that it is in favour of creation of a separate state of Telangana. We have, additionally, requested that the legitimate concerns of the people of Seemandhra should be addressed. Reconciliation of both these efforts is neither difficult nor impossible. Regrettably, the UPA has not taken effective steps in this direction. There are also lingering doubts about whether the UPA is following, legally and constitutionally, the correct course in an effort to create the state of Telangana. I have a lurking suspicion
that the UPA is prolonging the issue. Is the eventual intent of the UPA to make the issue of creation of Telangana infructuous in the present session and consequently in the UPA rule? BJP leaders privately say that the task of fulfilling Telangana dream and working out a reasonable package for Seemandhra was going to be left to the next government at the Centre, which they hope to form in next three months. The UPAs challenge is to put its own house in order and pass a bill in seven working days that have been left (two of which would be marked for private member and one day for the vote on account) that took them 10 years of UPA1 and UPA2 to formulate.
Pepper spraying Parliament: How Congress
is using subterfuge for law making

Kavitha Iyer Feb 13, 2014 table new low given the UPA's track record on debate and discussion, those forgotten hallmarks of parliamentary democracy. Analysis by PRS Legislative Research found that of the 118 bills passed so far by this Lok Sabha, 20 were passed in less than five minutes. Eleven bills were passed after discussions lasting 30 minutes to an hour. Ten other bills were discussed for less than half an hour. Only about 23 percent, or 27 bills, saw more than three hours of discussion. In the past weeks, we have seen the UPA exhibit quite unreservedly that law-making for political expediency is not the exception; it is the norm. Rahul Gandhis anti-corruption bills (now discarded), the Lokpal Bill, the unseemly hurry with which the Justice Verma Commissions recommendations were turned into law the Congress has made subterfuge a habit while legislating. In fact, the Congress-led UPA has shown complete disregard for Parliamentary process, conventions, the tradition of dialogue across party lines and accommodating, encouraging and comprehending the value of dissent in the process of law-making. The Congress has spent much of its last five years refusing to talk to the Opposition parties and cede some fair ground amid accusations of widespread corruption. Now the BJP, having assured the PM at his dinner table that they support statehood for Telangana provided there is a package for Seemandhra, now say they will not talk to the Congress. The government, its ministers, the MPs from Telangana and Seemandhra must do some navel gazing. The Opposition too. For it is together that they have ensured an all-around loss of faith in politics, and particularly in electoral politics and parliamentary democracy.
pparently, the UPA believes that its electoral mandate from 2009 permits it to introduce and pass a law in Parliament regardless of whether the bill is properly debated, vetted, amended to perfection and whether it at the very least has the consensus of its own cabinet members. That dissenting cabinet members, and dozens of dissenting parliamentarians from its own fold can be ignored because there is a whip or because the numbers for a vote can be managed.
Nothing else explains the smugness of a Union home minister declaring that the bill for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh now stands introduced in Parliament. The Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha said she did not see or hear the bill being introduced. A leader of the stature of Jaswant Singh said he could not fathom what was happening. Even assuming that Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde spoke the words indicating the introduction of the bill in the House, it can only be in the theatre of the absurd that such a performance of law-making by a government caught in a legislative gridlock of its own making is considered acceptable. Thursday's melee in the well of Lok Sabha is certainly a new low, but perhaps it was an inevi-
After Thursdays incident in Parliament, the BJP is crying conspiracy, expectedly so. No papers were placed before the House, no supplementary agenda was circulated mentioning that the bill would be introduced, said Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj. "We were not against the introduction of the bill, but is this the way to do it?" The BJP is claiming the moral high ground now, but it in fact played its part in disrupting consecutive sessions of Parliament in the last three years with utmost enthusiasm. Its allegation that the ruckus in Lok Sabha on Thursday was stage-managed to engineer a quiet introduction of the Bill and its possible passage under similar circumstances will never be evidenced, but nevertheless, is this the rights based governance
that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has been promising? The Congress vice-president has himself shown scant respect for parliamentary convention and debate, choosing to skip about half the sessions and speaking just two or three times through a five-year period. Will his speaking for only the six anti-corruption laws he championed condone his utter lack of involvement in Parliament over five years? Voters who send parliamenarians to Lok Sabha expect their representatives to participate fully in law-making. This is no rights-based governance, it is a subversion of every voters rights that consecutive sessions of Parliament are a complete washout. And if voters are turning to vigilantes and perpetual protesters, thats no coincidence either.
Pepper sprayed: Parliamentary proceedings hit historic low
spray in LS after Shinde tables bill

FP Politics Feb 13, 2014 he Congress-led UPA government finally tabled the Telangana Bill in the Lok Sabha in order to create the new state but in an unprecedented display of opposition, suspended Vijayawada MP L Rajagopalan used pepper spray on his fellow MPs, resulting in the house proceedings being adjourned.
Anti Telangana MP uses pepper
The spray, suspected to be pepper spray, resulted in many of the MPs coughing and television visuals showed Speaker Meira Kumar coughing before quickly leaving the Lower House of Parliament. Other MPs complained of irritation in their eyes and difficulty in breathing. Opposition MPs were seen looking on in shock and amusement even as marshals restrained Rajagopal and proceedings were adjourned. Speaking to CNN-IBN before Parliamentary proceedings, L Rajagopal said that he would not allow the bill to be passed and when asked how he would stop the bill he said, "You will have to wait and see." The Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned even as medical staff were called into action to treat the affected MPs. Three MPs were taken in an ambulance from Parliament, reported CNN-IBN, adding that the nature of their injuries wasn't known. High security measures were in place ahead of today's proceedings as some MPs had even suggested they could attempt suicide to protest against the creation of the new state. However, MPs cannot be body searched before they enter Parliament.
After the first hour of Lok Sabha was adjourned, the Telangana Bill was moved at 12 pm by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde which was quickly tabled after a voice vote. However, Congress MP from the Seemandhra region L Rajagopal, who was protesting against the bill in the well of the house, reportedly whipped out a canister of spray and liberally sprayed it all over the house.
Who is L Rajagopal the MP who used
pepper spray in the Lok Sabha?

FP Staff, Feb 13, 2014
ight after the Telangana Bill was produced in today's Lok Sabha session, suspended Congress MP from Vijaywada, L Rajagopal, who was standing in the well of the house, took out a canister of pepper spray and sprayed it all around the house, leading to the adjournment of the house.
Rajagopal is the the richest MP from the state with assets of Rs 299 crore along with his wife (according to his declaration filed with the Election Commission before 2009 polls). According to a Rediff report: "Hailing from the politically powerful Kamma community, Rajagopal took advantage of all the factors -from caste to the cash -- to emerge politically stronger. After winning Vijaywada seat for the first time in 2004, he managed to retain it for the second term, despite strong anti-Congress feeling prevailing in the region." According to the same report, Rajagopal's political detractors have pointed out that the MP has vested interests in ensuring that Telangana is not created. Rajagopal has massive investments in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana, which will be at risk if Telangana is made a separate state. Rajagopal was yesterday expelled from the Congress - along with five other MPs - for opposing creation of Telangana and giving notice of noconfidence motion against the government. These MPs from the Seemandhra region, the residuary state after Telangana is carved out of Andhra Pradesh, had been disrupting the House protesting the bill since the second half of the winter session started on 5 February. The Vijayawada MP had been openly against the formation of Telangana, and has been protesting against it for the past few years. He had criticised the party high command for not heeding the views of Seemandhra leaders on the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, but said he had advised Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy not to quit until the Parliament session ended. "Unfortunately, the Congress high command did not listen to feelings of Union ministers from Seemandhra, of Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, state ministers, PCC president,
Four MPs were taken away in an ambulance for immediate medical attention following the pepper spray attack. It is not known why this has happened. Among the injured are the pepper spray wielder, L Rajagopal himself. So who is L Rajagopal?
Rajagopal is a a mechanical engineer who was formerly the head of Lanco Infratech. According to the company's website, he was inducted into the company in 1985 and took the company from the construction business into allied industries linked to infrastructure development. Rajagopal married the daughter of a Congress leader P Upendra in the early nineties. In 2002, he quit as the Chief of Lanco only to enter public life and contest on a Congress ticket.
MPs and MLAs," Rajagopal had said. A few years ago, Rajagopal was one of the first leaders to take up the flagship of the anti-Telangana movement. After P Chidambaram's announcement that the Centre was initiating the process for the formation of Telangana state, Rajagopal was the first MP to send in his resignation.
According to a New Indian Expressreport, Rajagopal had threatened to play"kabbadi" in Parliament if the Telangana issue was raised. Before today's proceedings, Rajagopal was asked by CNN-IBN what he would do if the Telangana bill was introduced. He replied, "You will see."
Pepper spray in Parliament: Who is desecrating Indian culture now

Sandip Roy Feb 13, 2014 No, this is not the Shiksha Bachao Andolan Committee talking about The Hindus: An Alternative History. Its the speaker Meira Kumar talking about Our Parliamentarians: A Very Mainstream History. A knife brandished in parliament by a TDP MP. Pepper spray sprayed by an expelled Congress MP.
his has shamed us.
You will see that.. when they introduce you will see, he had said making it clear the pepper spray was not just a heat of the moment flourish but something pre-meditated. Minister for parliamentary affairs Kamal Nath said MPs are not checked for weapons and pepper spray because our founding fathers didnt imagine that the men and women we elect to uphold our constitutional values could ever desecrate the Lok Sabha itself. The guardians of our public morality are very busy looking for the foreign hand that they think desecrate our cultural and religious traditions from the ivory towers of Chicago. But the real goondas march with impunity into parliament with pepper spray and claim they are striking a blow for freedom and democracy. And why not? Our political parties have routinely turned a blind eye and actively or passively condoned their supporters ransacking and vandalizing anything they do not approve of an art exhibition, an academics office, a magazines headquarters, toll plazas. So why should we expect the political master of the goons to be lesser goondays? Of what more hallowed soil are they fashioned? In 2001 terrorists attacked the Indian parliament from outside. Today the ones elected to serve in it happily attacked it from within. A black day for Indian democracy as politicians are declaiming on television. A new low. Except our politicians, especially the ones who love their 15 minutes of fame on the nights news, are always on the lookout for newer lows. This did not happen in isolation a grand aberration to the courtly parliamentary debate
There is no shiksha to bachao here. However its clear that there is much shiksha to impart. Dinanath Batra and his committee would do much more good trying to instil some good old fashioned Bharatiya values in our elected representatives instead of ferreting out sex in 779page tomes. If there was a hidden agenda to denigrate Hindus and show their religion in poor light in that book, the agenda to denigrate parliament was not hidden at all here. Or at least it was hidden in plain sight. The expelled MP who used the pepper spray had already told CNN-IBN he would not allow the bill to be tabled at any cost.
our founding fathers envisaged. The way to the pepper spray was paved with mikes snatched from speakers and members tearing up bills. And it didnt just happen today. Mamata Banerjee once held a Samajwadi MP by the collar and dragged him out of the well of the Lok Sabha to prevent him protesting the Womens Reservation Bill. A study conducted by PRS legislative research shows there has been a steady decline in the number of hours Lok Sabha met in the past two decades. The 15th Lok Sabha, completing twoand-a-half years, is the most disrupted as it utilised just 72 per cent of the allotted time so far. Surely L Rajagopal understood that tearing up a bill and littering the Lok Sabha was now old hat to disrupt the Lok Sabha. Pepper spray however was a new and audacious low, sure to catapult him to the top of the news. In that sense it worked. L Rajagopal is now famous. Well, infamous to be correct, but the line between infamy and fame is increasingly meaningless. On a day when the highs and lows were suppose to be coming from the IPL auction in Bangalore, parliament provided us with the real lows. The IPL when it started horrified purists by turning the gentlemens game into something that felt like the buying and selling of livestock to the highest bidder a crass commercial glitzy enterprise that made cricket all about leggy cheerleaders and astronomical sums of money,
an exercise in commerce instead of cricket. The IPL auction however has been a model of dull decorum, the participants impeccably polite, the bidding orderly and the auctioneer never had to reprimand anyone or tell them Shaant ho jaaiye. The channel broadcasting it often felt like a snooze fest. Who would have thought that the real fireworks channel would be ones showing the Lok Sabha? The Prime Minister has said his heart bleeds. Jaswant Singh said thats pretty pointless when the UPA is responsible for the mayhem in Parliament. UPA and Congress must atone for this great sin, said Singh. Political parties being political parties will try to exact maximum mileage from this. But the fact remains that none of our political parties are exempt from this race to the bottom. Its not clear that for all the hand-wringing any real repentance is in the works. The MP who was accused of brandishing a knife is saying it was not a knife, but a mike part as if that is somehow far more honourable and keeping with hallowed traditions of parliamentary debate. The Shiksha Bachao Andolan Committee is happy. They have succeeded in their objective of saving India from a woman hungry for sex. Her books will now be pulped. But what do we do when men hungry for power have no qualms about pulping the norms of democracy itself?
Timeline: The chaos in LS that

ended in pepper spray and tears
FP Politics Feb 13, 2014
n an unprecedented move, expelled Congress MP L Rajagopal used pepper spray in Parliament while another MP brandished a knife inside the House, forcing Speaker Meira Kumar to suspend 18 MPs from the House.
fishes out a bottle of pepper spray and targets Speaker Meira Kumar as well as the Parliament staff who are seated in the Well of the House. He also attempts to spray MPs seated in the treasury and Opposition benches. Meanwhile, TDP MPs pick up a glass of water and available stationary and hurl them at other MPs. 12.02 pm: TDP MP Venugopal Reddy breaks a microphone and uses it as a missile. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath alleges he had a knife... an allegation he, however, refutes. 12.03 pm: With the pepper spray causing a burning sensation, MPs rush out of the House, covering their faces and coughing.
Here's the timeline of how events unfolded inside Lok Sabha, when it reconvened at 12 pm. 12.00 pm: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar enters the House and asks Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to table the Telangana bill. Within seconds of Shinde moving the bill, Andhra MPs storm to the Well of the House with posters shouting slogans in favour of a united Andhra Pradesh. 12.01 pm: Expelled Congress MP L Rajagopal
12.05 pm:Pro Telangana MPs in the House pin down Rajgopal and other Seemandhra MPs while marshals enter Lok Sabha to take them out. 12.10 pm: Home Minister Shinde claims Telangana bill has been tabled in Lok Sabha and is now property of the House. The House is then adjourned by Speaker Meira Kumar. For the next 15 minutes, ambulances are rushed to Parliament House and three MPs are taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi for treatment.
If women can use pepper spray for

self-defence why cant I, asks L Rajagopal
FP Politics Feb 13, 2014 "I used it when I saw the TDP MP being attacked" Rajagopal said. The Lok Sabha MP said that he always carried a canister of pepper spray in his pocket for self defence and on this occasion he used it only in self defence. "Pepper spray is not an offensive but a defensive weapon. I used it to protect myself against a mob attack," he told CNN-IBN. "The entire Congress leadership has to take the responsibility. I never hit anyone. I did it to dispel everyone around me," the MP said. He also criticised the decision of the Speaker of the House to suspend him and other MPs for disrupting proceedings. "If women can use it to defend themselves, then why can't I used it to defend myself?" Rajagopal said. Rajagopal, who was taken away from Parliament to receive treatment, alleged that he had used the pepper spray in self defence when he saw a fellow Telugu Desam Party MP being attacked by Congress MPs. "If I am suspended, then all the Congress MPs should be suspended," he said. When asked if he would use the tool again if he was required to, Rajagopal said he would use it in any setting. "Pepper spray is a legal defence tool... Even if someone attacks me here I will use it," Rajagopal said.
xpelled Congress MP, L Rajagopal, who sprayed pepper spray in Lok Sabha today when the Telangana Bill was tabled by the government defended his actions saying he had used it in self defence and to protect a fellow MP.
resigns from LS, quits politics

PTI, Feb 18, 2014
Telangana Bill: L Rajagopal

ing people are divided now. It is a sad day. I lost interest in politics," Rajagopal told PTI. The industrialist-politician said he had announced in the year 2009 at the peak of proTelangana agitation that he would quit politics if a separate state is formed. "Formation of separate Telangana is not in the interest of Telugu-speaking people and the nation as a whole," he said. He said he would work for the unity of Teluguspeaking people. "I have formed an NGO Rajagopal Foundation. I will now work for the unity of Telugu-speaking people," Rajagopal said. Asked whether he regrets the pepper spray attack in the House, which had attracted widespread condemnation, he said, "I did everything for the unity of Andhra Pradesh".
ew Delhi: Seemandhra MP L Rajagopal, who had created a storm by splashing pepper spray in Lok Sabha, today resigned from Parliament and announced quitting politics, saying he was "hurt" as Telugu people have been divided following the passage of Telangan bill in Lok Sabha.
Rajagopal, an expelled member of Congress, said he has sent his resignation to the Lok Sabha Secretariat and he would meet Speaker Meira Kumar tomorrow to press for its acceptance. The Vijayawada MP's action came within hours after the controversial bill was passed by the Lok Sabha. The Speaker had suspended 16 Seemandhra MPs, including Rajagopal who opposes Telangana state, after the pepper spray incident on 13 February and they could not attend the House today. "I submit my resignation from Lok Sabha. I am quitting politics too. I'm hurt as Telugu-speak-
His resignation comes at a time when the Committee of Privileges of Lok Sabha, which has got punitive powers, has been asked by the Speaker to go into the incident termed Meira Kumar as a "blot" on democracy. Unprecedented pandemonium had broken out in the House when Rajagopal, who is opposed to the division of Andhra Pradesh, brought a canister from which he sprayed pepper. All political parties have demanded action against him. Government has already said it would not oppose whatever decision the Speaker takes in this regard.
Telangana and the questions it raises about our MPs
up Rajya Sabha Secy General

FP Staff, Feb 19, 2014
Watch how TDP MP Ramesh roughs
ew Delhi: Noisy protests erupted in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with members opposed to division of Andhra Pradesh trooping into the Well and a TDP member snatching papers from Secretary General Shumsher K Sheriff forcing two adjournments in the pre-lunch sitting. 002222Samajwadi Party MPs were also in the Well seeking a resolution to condemn the black out of Lok Sabha proceedings during the passage the controversial Telangana bill. Raising the issue, Naresh Agrawal (SP) alleged that the manner in which the Telangana bill was passed in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, it seemed democracy was "murdered". CM Ramesh (TDP) and his party colleague YS Chowdhary strongly protested against the
Telangana bill. Ramesh lost his cool as soon as Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien asked the Secretary General to read the message from Lok Sabha, which obviously included a mention about passage of the bill to carve out a separate Telangana from Andhra Pradesh. Ramesh snatched papers from Sheriff before he could read it out and hit at the mike on his table prompting angry remarks from Kurien, who said, "This is very unfortunate. The Chair should not be attacked. Keep your hands off. What you are doing is very unfortunate." Security staff of Parliament rushed to the aid of the Secretary General as Ramesh kept shouting against the passage of the Telangana bill in Lok Sabha and maintaining that it was done in an unconstitutional manner.
Chowdhary kept shouting "undemocratic, undemocratic" even as Kurien rejected the demand of the Samajwadi Party to discuss Tuesday's happenings in Lok Sabha saying "you cannot discuss Lok Sabha in this House." Chowdhary, however, argued that Lok Sabha is within the country and shouted "please restore democracy". Amid din, Kurien adjourned the House till 2 pm.
Similar scenes were witnessed earlier when the House met in the morning, leading to its adjournment till noon. Samajwadi Party MPs wanted to take up a resolution condemning black out of proceedings of Lok Sabha. "Please adhere to procedure. Please do not discuss the other House here," Chairman Hamid Ansari ruled. This led to an argument between Chowdhary, who was standing right below the podium, and Ansari.
Pepper spray now, what next. Will our MPs ever get serious?
Akshaya Mishra Feb 13, 2014
epper spray in Parliament, and possibly a knife. Does it surprise really? Many of our lawmakers have a penchant for hurling paper balls, footwear and expletives at targets across the benches in both the houses. This skill goes well with their ability at relentless shouting from the back benches and trooping into the well at the smallest perceived provocation. For a people so used to such antics and disruptive behaviour, we should not lose sleep over the L Rajagopal matter.
was never a good idea. Some of his colleagues are already through the routine of breaking mikes and tearing papers. These have been used so often in our Parliament and assemblies that these no more generate any excitement among the larger target audience. He had to go for something different, something more sensational. Pepper spray was a good option, considering its ability to move people to tears. He was sure not many around him were sympathetic enough to his demand for the revocation of the idea of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh - the Congress and the BJP have agreed to the division in principle. The sight of everyone coming out in tears over Telangana would have been good publicity for his cause. If his intention was to hog the limelight, Rajagopal has done well. He has been all over television after his pepper spray act. It might not help his cause, but it certainly will earn him political brownie points. One TDP member is believed to have taken out a knife. One is not sure whether he meant to use it as a weapon of defence or attack or he carries a knife as a matter of habit. Since all parliamentarian are honourable, lets accept it as an innocent action aimed at attracting attention. The problem, however, is a knife wont be good enough the next time. Someone else will smuggle in firearms the next time. The bigger, the more menacing, the better. On a serious note, where does all this end? Parliament has been reduced to a platform for theatrics and grand posturing by all parties. That poor behaviour in the House is being beamed live to people has hardly proved a deterrent for our representatives. They have simply stopped bothering about the dignity of the institution. "What happened is disgraceful, unprecedented, unforgivable," said senior parliamentarian Jaswant Singh reacting to the incident. It is
The only question that begs an explanation is what on earth L Rajagopal, the Congress MP from Vijaywada, was trying to achieve by using pepper spray on fellow parliamentarians. According to Wikipedia, pepper spray is a lachrymatory agent a chemical compound that causes tears and temporary blindness in the target used by police to control riots or unruly crowds. The non-lethal compound is also used in personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears. Why did he think such a chemical was appropriate for fellow parliamentarians? Well, he operates in close proximity to them; he should know. The choice of weapon is a bit odd, but it could be explained away. As attention-grabbing tools, paper balls, footwears and other missiles are passe. Being loud among so many loud people
very shameful. It hurt me after seeing what happened. I never imagined that in the history of Parliament something like this would happen said BJP president Rajnath Singh. It is terrorising parliamentary democracy said senior minister Veerappa Moily. Only yesterday, Prime Minister manmohan Singh had said "My heart bleeds to see what is happening in the House." All this is okay, but where is the collective action to restore the dignity of the House? The current
Lok Sabha has been the least productive with disruptions and forced adjournments proving more the order than the exception. Worse, with the equation among parties so bitter and acrimonious, there is little hope of the next Lok Sabha performing any better - even the reaction to todays incident was along partisan lines. Whose job is to find a solution? It is time for the parliamentarians to get serious.
over House decorum?
Telangana Bill: Why the big fuss

Akshaya Mishra Feb 18, 2014
ets not get carried away by the noise and the theatrics over the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Of course, the way the Telangana bill was passed in Lok Sabha is unprecedented it was passed by voice vote with 40 MPs from several parties protesting in the well of the House, and the live telecast of the proceedings switched off. Perhaps it is unconstitutional too. The developments today send out an ugly message about our parliamentary democracy when most representatives from the state that is being divided are kept out of the big decision. States should not be formed in this fashion, but lets face it. The division of Andhra Pradesh was never expected to be a smooth and sweet kissand-part affair. The developments over the last few weeks had thrown enough indication that there would be vociferous even violent opposition to the bill from the lawmakers from the Seemandhra region. With the issue reduced to the for Telanganaagainst Telangana binary, the processes of dialogue, debate and parliamentary processes were already out of the way. In any case, after experiencing how Parliament works over the last few years, there is no point complaining much about decorum and decency. A decision had to be taken this way or that. A parliamentary nod against the formation of Telangana would have evoked similar passionate reaction. We have seen all this earlier. Just because leaders from Seemandhra are more visible and seemingly angrier at this point, it should not distract us from the original question. The Congress wont make itself popular in Andhra Pradesh with the way it managed the proceedings in Lok Sabha, but lets put it frankly: was there any other way?
Lets not forget that all the political players from Andhra Pradesh who have now become the voice of opposition against the bifurcation have been party to the Central governments decision to bifurcate the state. The deliberation on the creation of the new state has been a long-drawn process and neither the Telugu Desam Party nor Jagan Reddys YSR Congress can claim to be ignorant of the developments. Had they been serious, they could have started a reconciliation process at home, coaxing the champions of the Telangana state to maintain status quo in the state. All these days, the protests from this section has been about stopping the bifurcation, not about treating pro-Telangana demand with sympathy. Coming back to respect for parliamentary procedures, lets check the reactions today: It is a black day in the history of the country... A bill was introduced in the House without anybody to say Yes or No. The bill was introduced undemocratically. It was done against the will of the people of Andhra Pradesh...democracy was killed in broad daylight, said Jagan Reddy, YSR Congress chief. "It is daylight murder of democracy. The Speaker is acting as an agent of the Congress. More than half the house is at the Well. They should have suspended the entire house and passed the bill," said a TDP lawmaker. Do the comments reflect their conduct in the House over the last few days? Which of the parties was willing to have a sober debate in the House? Was lawmaker L Rajagopal respecting Parliament when he used pepper spray on fellow members? Was the TDP member who broke the mike in the House to make his point the other day being mindful of decorum? Of course not. So lets not make a big fuss about how the Telangana bill was passed.
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Telangana clears Parliament hurdle

with a dash of pepper, and plenty of chaos

Table of contents Telangana passed by Parliament

The politics of the creation of Telangana

Why the Congress can take no pride in creation of new state

Pepper sprayed: Parliamentary proceedings hit historic low

Telangana and the questions it raises about our MPs

Copyright 2012 Firstpost

Telangana passed by Parliament

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Bill now awaits Presidents nod

Passed in Rajya Sabha, Telangana

for creating ruckus during PMs speech

Twitter goes after Derek OBrien

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Celebrations outside Parliament

after Telangana Bill passed

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Can Seemandhra, Telangana MPs

join hands for Andhra?

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Only Chiranjeevi got to speak

Telangana ruckus in RS:

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Lok Sabha blackout: Behave yourself India,

the world is still watching

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Why suspending Lok Sabha TV

isnt death of democracy

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Black-out in Lok Sabha has

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No video signal received from cameras

Why Lok Sabha TV was off:

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The politics of the creation of Telangana

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Telangana shame: Voice vote

How Sushma, Modi, RSS bypassed

Advani to push Telangana Bill

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Telangana fall-out: Kiran Reddy resigns as Andhra CM, quits Cong

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Seemandhra shuts down to

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What you missed in LS blackout:

Read it all here.

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Why the Congress can take no pride in creation of new state

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Passage of Telangana: How Cong,

BJP sold democracy for votes

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Why Telangana tangle is UPAs

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Pepper spraying Parliament: How Congress

is using subterfuge for law making

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Pepper sprayed: Parliamentary proceedings hit historic low

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