THIS is not the first time that the Lok Sabha has been disgraced. But what happened was simply scandalizing when the Telengana Bill was tabled. The Seemandhra MPs were of course expected to protest. But nobody could think that an expelled MP from Vijaywada would spray pepper in the eyes of legislators. He was not frisked at the entry because of his parliamentary privilege. The time has come to reconsider the immunity. MPs came to blows, microphones were damaged, glasses were broken and the Speaker’s papers were snatched away. It was a battle surprisingly between the Congress and the Congress over the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. It is a sad reflection on the Congress party and its leadership. The decision to divide the state came as no surprise. People of Telengana have long been fighting for a separate state and those from Seemandhra are firmly against it. The grievances of the Seemandhrites are mainly economic and administrative. Political equations will also be upset. Congress leaders did not anticipate that the tension would escalate to such an extent. Nothing was done to make the partition a peaceful process.
What is also not clear is whether the decision is final. Since 2009, the Congress leadership has agreed to the formation of Telengana. But the terms of separation and the reasons for the bifurcation were not clearly spelt out. Seemandhra Congress has all along been trying to persuade the Central leadership to abandon the process. But the Congress leaders remained ambiguous, neither on one side nor on the other. The deal was at last finalized on the brink of the general election. Whether or not the decision will go in favour of the Congress seems uncertain, especially after the unseemly happening in the Lok Sabha.
