TDP, Shiv Sena MPs Fight Over Babli

The Telugu Desam Party on Wednesday voiced its opposition to the illegal constructions of barrages over the Godavari as part of the Babli Project, in the Lok Sabha, forcing the House to be adjourned twice - first, briefly when the proceedings commenced and later, till 12pm, as the party MPs argued with their counterparts belonging to the Shiv Sena.

The storm over the Babli issue spilled over to the well of the House, when TDP MPs led by Nama Nageshwara Rao raised slogans demanding an immediate halt to the ongoing work on the project. The Shiv Sena MPs took umbrage to the slogan-shouting, and responded with their own slogans. The TDP MPs' slogans of "Stop Babli Project" and "We want PM's involvement" were countered by the Shiv Sena MP's slogans "Babli Wahin Banayenge" ("we will construct Babli at that spot").

The Shiv Sena MPs were led by the party's deputy leader Anandrao Adsul. As the slogan shouting intensified, a Bharatiya Janata Party MP also joined the Shiv Sena MPs in the protest.

Speaker Meira Kumar tried to calm down the slogan-shouting members by telling them to take their respective seats, but the MPs remained adamant and the shouting refused to die down.

This prompted Sushma Swaraj, leader of the Opposition, to try and calm down the agitating members, but her request fell on deaf ears as well.

N Shivaprasad asked her why the TDP MPs must stick to rules in the House when the Maharashtra government violated even the Supreme Court's orders on the issue.

The agitated members then turned their attention to the finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, and entered into a heated argument with him.

Mukherjee was visibly angry, and it was the BJP leaders who pacified him and tried to calm down the Shiv Sena and TDP Members.

The pandemonium also forced Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's expected statement on the issue to be put off.

Speaker Meira Kumar finally adjourned the House till 12 noon, after the commotion and the verbal sparring refused to die down.

Earlier, the TDP members staged a dharna in front of Gandhi Statue in Parliament premises, raising slogans against the Babli project, and sought a political solution.

Courtesy: INN