Motion to suspend Seemandhra MPs

Resolution moved for suspension of 11 MPs _ 7 from Cong, 4 from TDP

• Entire oppn opposes move tooth and nail
• Motion not passed as oppn threatens walkout
• Amid din TDP MPs rush to podium
• Speaker adjourns House to Friday
• Some try to break mikes, TDP MP tries to whip himself
• Govt worried as debate on key food bill being disrupted
• Prime Minister expected to speak on coalgate today
• Speaker convenes an all-party meet today to end imbroglio

TDP flayed the Centre for going back on its assurance to constitute ‘an all-party committee’ to hear concerns of Seemandhra MPs. However, they were dismayed by the government move, instead, to suspend them from the House

Anita Saluja

New Delhi: The Congress-led UPA government on Thursday moved a resolution in Lok Sabha, suspending 11 Seemandhra MPs, including 7 from the Congress and 4 from the TDP. The motion could not be adopted amid the din in the House, with Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj insisting that if the motion is put to vote, they will stage a walkout.

Amid the furore, the Speaker adjourned the House, as the TDP MPs came into the well of the House, raising slogans and pressing down the mike of the Speaker. TDP MP N Sivaprasad went to the extent of taking out a whip to lash himself, while his party colleague M Venugopal Reddy pulled down the microphones on the Speaker’s podium. The House was adjourned for 30 minutes and later when it reassembled, the situation was no better, forcing the Chair to adjourn the House for the day.

The resolution moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath stated, “That Sarvashri A Sai Pratap, Nimalla Kistappa, Ananta Venkatarami Reddy, L Rajagopal, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, Modugula Venugopala Reddy, Arun Kumar Vundavalli, Konekalla Narayan Rao, G V Harsha Kumar and Niramalli Sivaprasad, who have behaved in a manner unbecoming of Members of Parliament by continuously disturbing the proceedings of the House, be suspended from the services of the House for the remainder of the Session.” The same resolution was read out by the Speaker to put it to vote, but it could not be adopted, amid the din in the House.

Later, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj informed that the resolution was in a limbo, as it was not formally adopted. “The UPA government will have to either withdraw the resolution or put it to vote,” she remarked. Sources stated that the BJP, which had earlier assured the UPA government that it would stage a walkout, failed to do so and similarly the Samajwadi Party also changed its stand.

With Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi disinclined to oblige the UPA government to help them pass the crucial Food Security Bill, it is unlikely that the BJP will allow the House to function. The Speaker has called a meeting on Friday to end the impasse in Parliament in the wake of the move to suspend 11 Seemandhra MPs. If the Opposition remains adamant, the UPA government will be in no position to get the flagship programme passed, despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreeing to intervene in the Coalgate scam debate, as pressed by the Opposition.

The Food Security Ordinance, promulgated by the UPA government, has already been kick-started in four Congress-ruled States on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on August 20. It has to be passed in this Parliament session to make it into an Act. The desperate attempt made by the UPA government on Thursday to move ahead by suspending the Seemandhra MPs backfired, as it finds itself back at square one.

TDP Parliamentary Party leader Nama Nageshwar Rao confided to The Hans India that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath had assured two of his agitating MPs before the commencement of the House proceedings that the government would set up a “committee” to address their concerns. But, when the proceedings of the House commenced later, they were astonished to see the Minister moved a resolution for their suspension. Though Kamal Nath did not refer to an “All-Party Committee,” the TDP MPs claimed that they had asked him earlier for setting up the same.

Sources stated that Nama Nageshwar Rao had met the Speaker earlier to impress upon her that she should not name the MPs who are protesting for a genuine cause, raising concerns which are worrying the people of Seemandhra. It is for this reason that Speaker Meira Kumar refrained herself from naming the MPs and left it to the government to move a resolution in the House. If the Speaker had named the MPs, they would not have been allowed to enter the house.

In this case, the government chose to move a resolution that enabled them to include the names of the Congress MPs as well, though most of them did not earlier disrupt the house, as was the case with the four TDP MPs. It was only on Thursday that the Congress MPs, too, were seen in the well of the House as the Congress wanted to ensure that the TDP alone did not derive political mileage in Seemandhra.