Opposition parties criticise government over Lok Sabha TV blackout during Telangana Bill voting process

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal United (JDU) on Wednesday criticized the government and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar for blacking oot televised proceedings of the debate and voting of the Telangana Bill on Tuesday.

While speculations were rife that the live feed may have been stopped on orders of Speaker Meira Kumar, Lok Sabha officials attributed the disruption to a technical glitch.

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, however, claimed that the blackout was deliberate and demanded an explanation from the government.

"We strongly condemn the manner in which the Lok Sabha proceeding was blacked out yesterday. It was not technical; it was deliberate. The BJP demands an explanation from the Lok Sabha Secretariat as to under what pressure they did it," he asked.

JD-U leader K C Tyagi condemned the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) over the blackout, terming it a clear violation of democracy.

"The JD-U has been in favor of Telangana. But, the manner in which this Bill has been passed and democracy has been violated, it is condemnable. There is no question of supporting this Bill," he said.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also expressed his disappointment over the blackout, saying the concerns of the Seemandhra people should be addressed.