MPs turn violent in Rajya Sabha. Papers torn, chairman’s mic broken

New Delhi -Lawmakers in the Rajya Sabha today tore papers, broke the chairman’s mic and held up placards near his chair in an act of vandalism in the upper house of Parliament.

Sources say 10 MPs named in the house for their “gross disorderly conduct” are likely to face action.

Members of the AIADMK and DMK reportedly tore copies of the house bulletin while others from Andhra Pradesh loudly protested against the creation of Telangana by dividing their state.

The upper house was adjourned four times before lunch, once just a minute after the members gathered for the day’s business.

“What you are doing is wrong…unruly. I am sorry,” said PJ Kurien, the deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.

The MPs named for disrupting house on Friday were from TDP, AIADMK and DMK.

The Lok Sabha was also disrupted repeatedly till it adjourned for the day after clocking in just 13 minutes, which translates to wasting nearly Rs. 1.6 crore of public money.

The vandalism by MPs surfaced on a day President Pranab Mukherjee described Parliament as the “Gangotri” that linked the people and the government. “If Gangotri gets polluted, neither the Ganga nor any of its tributaries can stay unpolluted. It is incumbent upon all Parliamentarians that they maintain the highest standards of democracy and parliamentary functioning,” he said at a function.

Last week, four days were wasted in disruptions.

With practically no business being transacted in its first two days, the final session of the 15th Lok Sabha seems headed for a washout.

Partners of the yet-to-formed Federal Front had yesterday threatened to stall the passage of all legislative bills, barring the vote-on-account. It is now becoming increasingly clear that the fate of the Telangana and the anti-graft bills will be decided by the next government.

The Congress has 39 bills on the agenda, including a proposal to create a new state, Telangana by carving it out of Andhra Pradesh.