New Delhi:
The suspended Congress MPs from Telangana continued their protest, demanding separate statehood, in the capital today. They were seen protesting with black bands on their faces, holding placards. The MPs also had a meeting with Overseas Affairs Minister Valayar Ravi this morning and were informed their suspension can be revoked if they promise good behaviour inside the Parliament. However, the suspended MPs did not give any such assurance.
On Tuesday, eight Congress MPs from Telangana were suspended for four days - through a motion moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal - for repeatedly disrupting the Lok Sabha proceedings.
In much embarrassment for the ruling party, the MPs, demanding that a separate Telangana state be carved out of Andhra Pradesh, forced three adjournments of the lower House.
The government's unprecedented action came after a meeting that the Prime Minister held with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Suspending its own members is a serious move; it will mean that for four days the Congress-led UPA will be eight short in the Lok Sabha and on any issue could be caught without adequate numbers if the Samajwadi Party and BSP do not support it.
Even after they were suspended, the eight Telangana MPs - Ponnam Prabhakar, Madhu Yaskhi Goud, M Jagannath, K R G Reddy, G Viveknanda, Balram Naik, Sukender Reddy Gutha and S Rajaiah - sat in the Well of the House refusing to exit. They later met the Speaker Meira Kumar in her chamber. The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day without transacting business.