New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar yesterday suspended 12 members from Andhra Pradesh from the house for five days for causing unending disruption.
The speaker named the 12, four from the Telegu Desam Party (TDP) and eight from the Congress, under rule 374 (A) of parliamentary proceedings, which automatically suspends them for the next five sittings.
Under the rule, any member named by the speaker shall “stand automatically suspended from the service of the house for five consecutive sittings or the remainder of the session whichever is less”.
Of the 12, Nimalla Kristappa, Modugula Venugopala Reddy, Konakalla Narayan Rao and Nirmalalli Sivaprasad are from the TDP.
Savarshri A Sai Prathap, Anantha Venkatrami Reddy, L Raja Gopal, Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, V Aruna Kumar, G V Harsha Kumarm, Bapi Raju Kanumuru and Sabbam Hari belong to the Congress.
The members have been protesting against the creation of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.
After being adjourned twice yesterday, the speaker took the names of the 12 MPs and said: “I name you under rule 374(A). You may forthwith withdraw from the precincts of the house.” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath had Thursday moved a motion to suspend 10 of the 12 members.
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien yesterday expressed deep pain over the unruly conduct of two TDP members protesting against the division of Andhra Pradesh and threatened to suspend them for holding the house to ransom.
Wearing white shirts with ‘Save Andhra Pradesh’ printed at the back, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members C M Ramesh and Y S Chaudhary, shouting slogans and holding placards, came towards the speaker’s podium, as Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal began to speak on the missing coal files.
Kurien repeatedly requested the members to go back to their seats and let the house discuss the missing coal files issues. As TDP members continued raising slogans of “Save Andhra Pradesh” and “We need justice”, Kurien threatened to take action under Rule 255.
According to Rajya Sabha, under Rule 255 “the Chairman may direct any member whose conduct is in his opinion grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately from the Council and any member so ordered to withdraw shall do so forthwith and shall absent himself during the remainder of the day’s meeting”.
IANS
