M A I N   N E W S

Govt says Bill tabled; BJP questions claim
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 13
While Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said the Telangana Bill had been introduced in the Lok Sabha and it was now “the property of the House”, the BJP questioned the government’s claim.

The main Opposition said the “disgraceful” pepper spraying incident in the Lok Sabha was a “drama” enacted by the Congress and vowed not to engage with the government on any issue again.

“We had not imagined that they will introduce the Bill in such a way... We have decided we will not talk to the government on anything at all,” Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said, a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s reach-out lunch for senior BJP leaders at his residence.

Sushma said “parliamentary procedures were not followed” since “no supplementary agenda was given to members or listed in the business of the House” at the time the Bill was introduced.

“I was sitting in the House even after the spray incident and wanted to stay inside till I was advised by marshals to leave as it could cause harm to my health. As long as I was inside the House, not even an ‘I’ of the Bill was read. I don’t know when the Bill was introduced,” she said, contesting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath’s statement that the Bill was introduced around noon.

Senior BJP leader LK Advani attacked the government, saying it was bent upon getting the Bill passed even if it meant suspension or expulsion of members.

“Whatever has happened in Parliament is not just unfortunate but also shameful. For this, the Congress is solely responsible. It is a drama enacted by the Congress,” he said.

BJP leader Arun Jaitley held the Congress “solely responsible” for the fracas and said the incident had given a bad name to Indian democracy.