Special session: The pepper spray incident behind PM reference to ‘bitter’ creation of Telangana - The Indian Express

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SPEAKING in the Lok Sabha on “Parliamentary Journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha — Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that while there were celebrations everywhere when the new states of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh were created during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s time, Telangana being carved out of Andhra Pradesh “led to only bitterness” on both sides.

The PM’s reference seemed to be to the developments of February 13, 2014, in Parliament when the Congress-led UPA government introduced the Bill for the division of Andhra Pradesh amid turmoil and hospitalisation of three members, after a Congress MP opposed to the new state sprayed pepper spray to disrupt proceedings.

Eventually, 16 anti-Telangana MPs were suspended for the rest of the Session, with the BJP questioning the introduction of the Bill under such circumstances. Speaker Meira Kumar, however, stuck to her ruling that the Bill had indeed been introduced.

The drama started from the time Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde entered the House, escorted by R P N Singh and accompanied by Congress MPs, who formed a human shield to protect him from members opposed to Telangana.

As Speaker Kumar asked Shinde to table the Bill, Opposition MPs protested saying they did not have advance notice about this.

Congress MP from Vijayawada L Rajagopal, who was in the well, then picked a glass item and swung it on the table, breaking it and creating a ruckus. After this, he pulled out a pepper spray and started spraying it indiscriminately.

Amid the House in ruckus, Kumar kept urging for order to allow the introduction of the Bill. With members unable to hear her and the pepper spray apparently having an effect on her as well, Kumar adjourned the House until 2 pm and left in a hurry. Around the same time, a watch-and-ward staff member whisked Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj out.

Rajagopal, however, continued to furiously spray from the pepper spray canister. Even as Congress members chased him, he tried to run towards the Opposition benches, but was caught by Shrawasti MP Vinnu Pandey, resulting in a scuffle between them.

There was another scuffle between anti-Telangana member M Venugopal Reddy, who had snatched a microphone from the Secretary-General’s desk, and Raj Babbar.

Marshalls of the house finally managed to stop Rajagopal and forcibly evicted him from the house. Pandey was later escorted by Delhi MP Sandeep Diskhit to an ambulance waiting outside.

Anti-Telangana MPs and others in the House continued their face-off in the house until they began to feel the effect of the pepper spray as well. Many started coughing and left the house holding handkerchiefs to their faces.

When the House reassembled, Congress MPs gathered near the Speaker’s table to prevent anti-Telangana MPs from getting near her or climbing the table. Kumar named 16 members who were protesting in the Well and were involved in scuffles, suspending them for the next five consecutive sittings.

On February 18, 2014, the Lok Sabha finally took up for consideration the Telangana Bill, with Congress members seen protecting Shinde and other top leaders from protesting members. The CPI(M) and Trinamool, the two arch detractors in West Bengal, were together in opposing the creation of Telangana, apparently with the concerns of demand for Gorkhaland in mind.

To avoid the chaos of last time, Congress MPs formed a cordon around the front rows of Treasury benches where UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the Home Minister were seated when the Bill was taken up for consideration and passing.

TRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao, a prime proponent of Telangana, was seen walking to Sushma Swaraj and thanking her for BJP support to the Bill.

Swaraj later said, “After the passage of the Bill, you start giving credit to Sonia Gandhi… but don’t forget this ‘Chinnamma’ (little mother – a reference to herself).”