M A I N   N E W S

Uproar in Parliament over Telangana issue
TRS, BJP, Cong members come together despite divergent political leanings

New Delhi, March 3
Parliament today witnessed repeated adjournments following uproar over demands for separate Telangana, an issue which saw members from the TRS, the BJP and the Congress coming together despite their divergent political leanings. Both Houses of Parliament were rocked by the demand as soon as they met for the day.

In the Lok Sabha, TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao and his colleague M Vijayashanti rushed to the Well, chanting 'Jai Telangana' and 'We want Telangana'. They were supported by BJP members.

A section of Congress members from Andhra Pradesh too were seen in the aisle raising slogans for a separate Telangana, while TDP members were seen waving placards favouring 'United Andhra Pradesh'. A Congress member went across to the TDP members and snatched the placard and joined his protesting colleagues. Speaker Meira Kumar repeatedly pleaded with the agitated members to allow the Question Hour to continue, but when they did not relent, she adjourned the House till noon. Same scenes were repeated when the House re-assembled.

The Speaker requested the members to let the House function and allow taking up debate on the Railway Budget but the pleas went unheeded.

Amidst the din, Shahnawaz Hussain (BJP) raised the issue of the Supreme Court verdict on CVC and said the matter should be taken up in the House considering its serious nature. He was supported by his party members.

In view of the uproar, the Speaker adjourned the House for 30 minutes. When the House met again at 12.30 PM, TRS members and some from Congress were again on their feet. Rao and Vijayshanti were again in the Well.

The Speaker said she would allow members, including the TRS chief, to speak briefly on Telangana issue to ensure that the House functions properly.

JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav also requested Rao and Vijayashanti to go to their seats but they did not relent.

Yadav also wanted Congress members, who were vociferously demanding separate Telangana state, to end slogan shouting. "We are in favour of Telangana state. But all the members want debate on Rail Budget," the JD(U) leader said. This triggered angry protests from Congress members. He said he should be allowed to complete what he wanted to say but Congress members did not listen.

The Speaker's offer to members to speak caused a division among the Congress members who were favouring Telangana. K Rajgopal Reddy of the Congress wanted to speak but he was stopped by other pro-Telangana party members. As the din continued, Meira Kumar adjourned the House till 2 PM. Uproar over the issue was again witnessed when the House re-assembled. — PTI

Congress minister resigns
Suresh Dharur/TNS

Hyderabad, March 3
The Telangana storm intensified today with the resignation of a senior minister, J Krishna Rao, in support of the statehood cause. The threat of en masse resignations by elected representatives from the volatile region also looms large over Andhra Pradesh. Rao, who holds endowments portfolio, sent in his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, demanding introduction of a Bill in Parliament for creation of a separate Telangana state. He made it clear that the people of Telangana were not in a position to wait any longer to realise their statehood dream. The prevailing “confusion and uncertainty” over the issue was making it difficult for him to continue in the government, he said.

Rao, who hails from Mahaboobnagar district, also handed over a copy of his resignation to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy. He requested the Chief Minister to forward the letter to the Governor in case the Telangana Bill was not introduced during the current Budget session of Parliament.

The resignation has triggered a fresh crisis for the Congress government, which is already reeling under the impact of non-cooperation movement by around 3.5 lakh government employees in the Telangana region. Telangana protagonists have also stepped up the agitation while the legislators from the region boycotted the ongoing Budget session of the Assembly.

Expressing anguish over delay in granting statehood to the Telangana region, the minister said the leaders from the area were not in a position to move around in their respective constituencies because of public anger. “We are prepared for any sacrifices to achieve the goal. I cannot remain a mute spectator while all legislators from Telangana are boycotting it,” Rao said.