Nine members of Parliament (MPs) from Andhra Pradesh, four from the Telugu Desam Party and five from the Congress, were once again suspended by the Lok Sabha Speaker under rule 374(A) on Monday for disrupting the proceedings.
The MPs have been protesting against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh since the beginning of the Monsoon session of Parliament on August 5.
On August 23, 12 members – including these nine MPs – were suspended for five days under the same rule.
The session is slated to end on September 6 and is yet to take up some crucial Bills. Among the items listed on the legislative agenda for Monday are the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, Securities Laws (Amendment) Bill and Right to Information (Amendment) Bill.
In the morning, when the House assembled, one of the TDP MPs, N Sivaprasad, entered the Well of the House sporting a mask of former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, much to the chagrin of Congress MPs in the House. After protests, he took off the mask.
Soon, Congress MPs from Andhra Pradesh – A Sai Pratap, Anantha Venkatrami Reddy, N Rajagopal, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and K Bapi Raju – also trooped into the Well carrying placards which said “Jai Samaikyaandhra” and “We want united Andhra Pradesh”.
The Speaker then adjourned the House till 2.pm