12.37 pm: Not just pepper spray, knives too?
The news that is trickling out of Parliament is getting weirder and weirder.
As if the pepper spray attack was not bad enough, now it turns out that TDP MP Venugopal had a knife on him as well, but had been held back by MPs.
Meanwhile BJP MP Tarun Vijay tweeted, "St
12.32 pm: At least four MPs taken to hospital
Four MPs have been taken away in an ambulance for immediate medical attention following L Rajagopalan's unprecedented pepper spray attack. Among the injured are the pepper spray wielder, L Rajagopal himself.
PTI reported that he had been injured after breaking a glass inside the house.
He may have been injured in the ensuing melee, says CNN-IBN. Marshalls had been used to overpower the Lok Sabha MPs.
12.07 pm: Suspended Congress MP used pepper spray in Lok Sabha
The mystery over the hurried adjournment of the Lok Sabha has been solved.
Suspended Congress MP L Rajagopal who was standing in the well of the house, took out a bottle of pepper spray and had sprayed it all around the house, leading to the adjournment of the house.
This has got to be a first.
Meanwhile Firstpost editor Sandip Roy had this perspective:
Staid decorum at #IPLAuction. Pepper spray in Parliament. Wonder that is India
— Sandip Roy (@sandipr) February 13, 2014
12.00 pm: Shinde tables Telangana bill in LS, House adjourned
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde tabled the Telangana bill in the Lok Sabha, which was immediately adjourned for the day. This was most likely done in view of concerns that Seemandhra MPs would try to commit suicide inside the Parliament premises.
The discussion and the voting of the bill will likely take place next week.
The drama continues in the Rajya Sabha however, where Seemandhra MPs are trying to break the chairman's microphone.
11.56 am: Cong Andhra MLAs resign
Four Congress Seemandhra MPs have resigned, minutes before the Telangana bill is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament.
11.45 am: Pro and anti-Telangana supporters clash outside Parliament
The drama it seems, is not just limited to inside the Lok Sabha.
Groups of pro and anti Telangana supporters are clashing outside Parliament premises. In the middle of it all are some beleagured members of the Delhi police. You have to feel for them. This has not been an easy year for them, what with dharnas and what not.
Tensions are running high, with the bill expected to be tabled at noon. Whether any business will be done after that, is anyone's guess. The biggest fear right now however, is that the Seemandhra MPs try to kill themselves.
11.15 am: Telangana bill to be tabled at noon
The Telangana bill will be tabled at noon, amid what is sure to be high drama.
CNN-IBN quoting sources said that the government would not move to suspend agitating Telangana MPs and nor would it use marshalls to remove them from the floor of the house.
A wise move perhaps, given how badly the Congress got burned the last time they tried to suspend Andhra MPs. A smug Sushma Swaraj got up, slammed the Congress for the way it was handling the bifurcation of the state, and then refused to support the motion.
That has still got to hurt.
11.03 am: Both houses of Parliament adjourned
The Rajya Sabha was functional for roughly a minute before being adjourned over protests over Telangana. The Lok Sabha on the other hand, functioned for a full five minutes before being adjourned till 12.
10.49 am: MHA officials say that bill will be introduced
In the midst of all this back and forth, a number of MHA officials have only added to the confusion. They have arrived at Parliament and have told CNN-IBN that they have been called to Parliament because the bill will be introduced in Parliament. So will it be introduced or not? At this point, we can only wait and see.
10.36 am: Not yet decided on days agenda, says Kamal Nath
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath has said that the days agenda has not yet been decided, adding that there were still concerns over tabling the Telangana bill. The bill has not been listed in the days agenda, and the speaker may have to take a final decision on whether to introduce it or not.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Nath said that while a majority of Congress MPs wanted the bill introduced, there were others who still had concerns.
Most of these concerns appear to be centred around safety, with very real concerns that some MPs would immolate themselves inside the Parliament premises to protest the division of the state. A decision in this regard will have to be taken before 11am when Parliament convenes for the day.
Meanwhile reports from Seemandhra say that the entire area is in a state of total shutdown. The TDP, YSRCP activists and other united Andhra supporters held rallies at several places in the two regions against the state's division. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions remained shut at many places with pro-united Andhra employees also taking part in the agitation.
10.09 am: Waiting for political nod to introduce bill, says MHA
MHA sources have told CNN-IBN that the ministry is prepared to introduce the Telangana bill in Parliament today, but are still waiting for political approval.
They are reportedly also waiting for speakers consent to introduce the bill. Meanwhile in Andhra Pradesh, the assembly has been adjourned for an hour despite it being the last day of the vote on account session. All eyes are on CM Kiran reddy and his resignation threat. The Chief Minister has not arrived yet.
9.40 am: Will Cong bite the bullet and table bill today?
Will they? Won't they? That seems to be the biggest question surrounding the controversial Telangana bill that has seen Parliament continuously disrupted over the last two sessions. The bill is all ready to go, but the Congress has so far refrained from tabling it in the Lok Sabha.
Reuters
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to hold talks with senior ministers at around 10.30 am Thursday to take a final call on whether to table the Bill or not.
The bill is likely to be pushed through by the Centre despite the fact that it has been advised that a constitutional amendment was needed after the law ministry said the bill could be moved in its current form, reported the Hindu.
If Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde rises to present the bill in the Lok Sabha he could be surrounded by party MPs to prevent opposing MPs from targeting him.
The MPs from Seemandhra region who are opposed to the legislation have already finalised their strategy to disrupt the bill from being pushed through.
The BJP, while supporting the bill and the creation of the state, has said that the Congress needs to take note of the projects. Ministers and MPs from the region, including the six legislators expelled by the Congress, held a meeting on Wednesday night and almost all of them are likely to protest against the introduction of the Bill in the well of the House.
One of the expelled MPs is also expected to move a notice for no-confidence against the UPA government.
An MP claimed that they have already mobilised the support of 37 MPs in the last two days.
According to a report in the Times of India, a serious worry of the Congress government is that some of the protesting MPs could go through with their threats of attempting suicide either in the well of the House or on Parliament premises.
The report points out that since MPs cannot be patted down it has been made sure that CCTVs, metal detectors, and full body scanners are all functional.
Fire extinguishers have been kept across the premises, there are additional fire engines and security outside the Parliament building has also been ramped up to prevent MPs from doing anything in Parliament premises.
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