The over two-week impasse in Lok Sabha is set to finally end with Speaker Meira Kumar on Friday suspending 12 protesting Andhra Pradesh MPs for five days. She later adjourned the House for the day.
With the suspensions, the House, which will meet this Saturday, may finally take up the crucial Bills on food and land that have been pending since August 5, when the monsoon session began.
Earlier in the day, the Government withdrew its motion of Thursday, seeking suspension of the Andhra MPs, who had been protesting against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh inside the House, leading to repeated adjournments.
Soon after this, the Speaker invoked Rule 374A (automatic suspension from the service of the House for five consecutive sittings or the remainder of the session) and suspended the 12 members for obstructing business.
“You may forthwith withdraw from the precincts of the House,” she told the MPs. The suspended MPs are A. Sai Prathap, Nimalla Kristappa, A.V. Reddy, L. Raja Gopal, M.S. Reddy, M.V. Reddy, V. Aruna Kumar, K. Narayana Rao, G.V. Harsha Kumar, Bapi Raju Kanumuru, Sabbam Hari and Niramalli Sivaprasad.