Cong members protest in Well after TDP, YSR withdraw

The government today persuaded TDP and YSRCP members from calling off their protests in the Lok Sabha before Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his reply to the motion of thanks on the president's address, but it ended up with Congress members trooping into the Well.

The House witnessed a few moments of chaos as Congress members took potshots at the Andhra Pradesh MPs for retreating to their seats following Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anath Kumar's request to them and a statement that the government was sympathetic to their demands.

Peeved by the jeering by Congress members, some TDP MPs were seen angrily gesticulating to them right outside the benches occupied by the main opposition party, prompting Kumar and his deputy Arjun Ram Meghwal to rush to the other side to defuse the situation.
 

An anguished Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked Leader of the Congress Mallikarjun Kharge to "control" his members.

Shouts of "shame" were heard from the Congress benches as Andhra Pradesh MPs went back to their seats.

Kharge said when he spoke yesterday on the motion MPs from the two Andhra parties continuously shouted slogans and there was no "discipline". They were not prevented then, he said.

Andhra Pradesh must be given justice, he said as Congress members trooped into the Well and began shouting slogans targeting Modi and demanding that promises made to the state be fulfilled.

Through the Prime Minister's over 90-minute speech, Congress members continued to shout slogans from the Well.