Blot on democracy

February 13, 2014 has turned out to be the blackest day for democracy in India because of the most unseemly behaviour by some MPs inside Parliament on this day. It is not that this shame is tagged to it because of anyone else’s action but some of the members of Parliament inside it. The moment Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde rose to introduce the Telangana Bill, a member of the House reportedly expelled by Congress only yesterday used pepper spray and some other supporters and opponents of Telangana started fisticuffs. The pepper spraying caused coughing and nauseating feeling among the members inside Parliament and even some complained of uneasiness who were immediately provided medical aids. The reports have also emerged through TV news channels that even one of the TDP MPs swung even knife in the Lok Sabha. For some moments, a complete chaos occurred inside the Parliament and members started running to get out of the Parliament. Some members fell inside it and they were sent to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for first medical aid. The pepper spraying even caused coughing to Speaker Meira Kumar. Though this is most unsavoury incident in the history of Indian Parliament, this has been condemned by all parties and leaders. They have demanded severe punishment to the members who have acted like criminals inside Parliament. The government must not escape from its responsibility to hold the parliamentary session peacefully. The tension over Telangana had already been running high since the beginning of the last session of Parliament before Lok Sabha elections. Both opponents and supporters of Telangana had taken their respective political stands. UPA government had already committed itself to Telangana without taking into confidence all stakeholders. The demand for Telangana is not new. It is as old as the demand for separate state in other corners of the nation. Some new separate states were also created without any acrimony and bitterness as is being seen in the case of Telangana. Most of the MPs irrespective of the political affiliations are not in favour of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh to make Telangana. They oppose any attempt to divide Andhra Pradesh. While the MPs from Telangana region want a separate state at all cost. Congress-led UPA committed to Telangana because of its dipping political prospects in the Seemandhra region. So by conceding the demand of Telangana to the people of the region, Congress party tries to compensate its political loss in Seemandhra region. That is why the nation is witnessing the most shameful incident inside Lok Sabha because of the most unruly behaviour of its members from Andhra Pradesh. Though Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar suspended 18 MPs for this most unseemly and unprecented incident, they have broken the laws and action must be taken as law demands against criminal act. The action of these MPs clearly reflected their criminal intents. So mere suspension of 18 MPs for the remaining period of the session would be like letting them off very lightly. They have committed crime inside the Parliament so the deterrent punishment would be institution of criminal case against them. Being the largest democracy of the world, our heads hang in shame over the unseemly action of our lawmakers inside the Parliament. When lawmakers break the law willfully, what can we expect from others? No one is above the law so criminal case must be lodged against all those MPs who were involved in fisticuffs and pepper spraying.