The behaviour of our so-called honourable Members of Parliament inside the House on Thursday was deplorable (Feb.14). A Congress MP was busy engaged in detonating a can of pepper spray inside the House, another allegedly whipped out a weapon, later said to be “a piece of a microphone”, while another had the nerve to snatch a mike. All these acts were in the name of thwarting the Telangana Bill. After what has happened, all MPs should be subjected to thorough physical checks. They have forfeited their right to be granted privileges. Finally, the incident is a wake-up call to us voters.
P. Gireesan,
Bangalore
Today, people are talking about decency, decorum, the sacrosanct nature of the system and the rapid undermining of respectable institutions which are the pillars of democracy.
What happened in the 2G case when the Comptroller and Auditor General of India came into the picture and spilled the beans? Did anybody talk about upholding the prestige of an unblemished CAG? The Public Accounts Committee Chairman was heckled. Nobody talked about it. When an honest officer in Haryana revealed unsavoury land deals in the State, an FIR was filed against him. So, what democracy are we talking about?
Rajendra Singh Baisthakur,
Nellore
Adjournments of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha every now and then is like administering paracetamol without attempting to cure a serious disease. It is high time that severe disciplinary action is taken against erring parliamentarians.
A.S. Adikesavan,
Chennai
Variety is the spice of life but is this spicy mode the way to protest? There is not much of a difference between a rowdy using chilli powder to rob someone and an MP using pepper spray to bring things to a grinding halt. Bharath Matha needs to close her eyes. Culture and refinement have vanished from Parliament.
Meenakshi Pattabiraman,
Madurai
On December 13, 2001, parliamentarians were attacked by terrorists. Now, 13 years later, the perpetrators, the so-called guardians of the temple of democracy, in turn destroy Parliament. How ironic!
Gagan Singla,
Mansa, Punjab
When goondas and criminals are elected as our representatives, what more can we can expect from them? Parliament has already witnessed the snatching of papers from the Speaker, the tearing of Bills inside the House, the breaking of microphones and furniture being damaged. Now, it has degenerated into pepper spraying and brandishing a weapon. What next? Bombs being exploded?
V. Sivakumar,
Chennai
We all rise as one when our “tall” leaders are frisked when they land in foreign countries as a security requirement prevailing in those countries. With the smuggling of such a repellent spray into Parliament by none other than an MP, we have now lost the moral right to question foreign countries subjecting Indian citizens including our leaders to intensive security checks.
Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
One recalls Winston Churchill’s statement that “Indians are unfit for self rule.” The deplorable episode vindicates his stand. It also speaks volumes about the inability of the Prime Minister and the Speaker to control and maintain discipline in the House. As long as criminals fill our legislative bodies, the rule of law stands proscribed.
Arulur N. Balasubramanian,
Chennai
There are lots of lessons to be learnt from the 15th Lok Sabha which has the distinction for poor functioning and disruption of proceedings. There has been much compromise on policy decisions in the name of coalition dharma.
C.R. Ananthanarayanan,
Bangalore
At first it was hilarious to watch the visuals of the “pepper spray incident” being aired on television. There were even messages proclaiming Mr. Lagadapati Rajagopal to be Andhra’s Bhagat Singh. Much later, one experienced a sense of disgust. How low our MPs can stoop.
A. Nihar,
Guntur
It’s quite shocking to read the biased reports (Feb.14). Mr. Rajagopal did not use the pepper spray to stop the proceedings. He used it to defend himself when he and other Seemandhra MPs came under physical attack from Telangana and other Congress MPs. The incident was deplorable, but even physical attacks by Telangana supporters have largely gone unreported in the media on numerous occasions.
Suresh Nandigam,
Jaggayyapet, A.P.
The Speaker’s role cannot be ignored. It is her non-neutral behaviour which damaged the sanctity of the House. Throughout the current session she wanted “order” in the House to take up the no-confidence motion. She almost obfuscated all the attempts of MPs who submitted resignations and who wanted no-confidence motions.
She allowed the passing of a controversial Bill despite the din and commotion. She seems to have been a part of the UPA in allowing the passage of business which suited it politically.
Duggaraju Srinivasa Rao,
Vijayawada
The tragedy in the Lok Sabha shows that regional sentiments are gaining ground over nationalist ones even if it leaves India’s image in tatters. The politics of disruption has now reached its ‘plimsoll limit’. These acts must be dealt with strongly. There must be no second thoughts about expulsion and even a jail term.
Jashan Kang,
Chandigarh
