LS chaos: Speaker Meira Meira Kumar lashes out, 16 AP MPs suspended from Lok Sabha
New Delhi: Cracking the whip, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Thursday suspended 16 MPs from Andhra Pradesh for rest of the session after unprecedented pandemonium broke out in the House over the Telangana issue.
Kumar announced the decision soon after the House met at 2 PM after being adjourned in the wake of the ruckus created at noon by pepper spraying and fisticuffs among members opposing and supporting Telangana.
She named the members and said they had been suspended under Rule 374 A which says that a member can "be suspended from the service of the House for a period not exceeding the remainder of the session" for disregarding "the authority of the Chair or abusing the rules of the House by persistently and wilfully obstructing business".
In the afternoon, Meira Kumar cracked the whip and suspended 16 MPs, who are against division of Andhra Pradesh, for rest of the session following the scenes of pandemonium.
Kumar named 18 members who were asked to withdraw from the House. Later, Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a circular in which the names of Suresh Kumar Shetkar (pro-Telangana) and K. Bappi Raju (Seemandhra) were deleted.
The suspended members cannot enter the House, inner lobby and galleries. They cannot participate in the meetings of Parliamentary Committees and cannot vote in committees during the suspension till February 20, the penultimate day of the 15h Lok Sabha.
"They may forthwith withdraw from the precincts of the House," Kumar said.
Those suspended include L. Rajagopal, expelled Congress member who had earlier sprayed pepper gas from a canister in the House, causing chaos.
TDP member M. Venugopala Reddy, who broke the mike, was also among the MPs suspended.
Others suspended are Sabbam Hari, Anantha Venkatarami Reddy, Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, SPY Reddy, M. Sreenivasulu Reddy, V. Aruna Kumar, A. Sai Prathap, K.R.G Reddy and G. Sukhender Reddy (all Cong), Niramalli Sivaprasad, Nimmala Kristappa, K. Narayana Rao (all TDP), and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and M. Rajamohan Reddy (both YSR Cong).
