Andhra MP Reminds Congress Of Procedure It Adopted For AP Division As P Chidambaram Warns States Over J&K Reorganisation

C M Ramesh, BJP MP in the Rajya Sabha reminded Congress leader P Chidambaram how the Congress party had handled Andhra Pradesh (AP) bifurcation the the Parliament in 2014 as Chidambaram tried to warn MPs from various states of possible reorganisation in future.

Saying that Andhra Pradesh is a progressive state, Ramesh said that both AP and Telangana began to compete over progress after being divided notwithstanding the procedure of bifurcation.

Ramesh said that the Congress-led Lok Sabha’s gates were closed and treasury bench MPs were suspended by the Congress to get the bill passed. Andhra Pradesh MPs, even from the Congress party, were also removed from the house while live telecast was shut down to get the bill passed in the assembly.

The discussion over the bill was then marred by the use of pepper spray by an MP as scuffles broke out between Congress MPs in the lower house. The then leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj had claimed that she did not even know if the bill was introduced. The bill was passed via a voice vote in the assembly.

Several Congress MPs from the Seemandhra region had resigned following the passage of bill that bifurcated the state, wile 18 MPs from AP were suspended by the LS Speaker Meira Kumar due to the scuffles.