Telangana bill tabled in Lok Sabha; MP uses pepper spray, another brandishes knife

The Lok Sabha turned into a battlefield on Thursday with senior MPs scuffling as home minister Sushilkumar Shinde introduced the Telangana bill around noon. The UPA government struggled to table the bill as expelled Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal heightened the drama by spraying pepper spray in the air after being stopped from rushing to the Speaker’s chair.

The pepper spray left several parliamentarians, staff and journalists coughing and teary-eyed. Many MPs tried to rush outside to avoid the smell and chemical effects of the spray. TDP MP Venugopal Reddy broke the Speaker’s microphone amid the ruckus, while another lawmaker who could not be immediately identified brandished a knife in the Lower House.