Lok Sabha disrupted over Telangana issue

New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) The Lok Sabha was adjourned twice Tuesday following noisy disruptions by MPs from Andhra Pradesh's Telangana region pressing for their demand of separate statehood for the region.

As soon as the lower house convened at 11 a.m., MPs from the Congress, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) shouted slogans of "Jai Telangana", urging Speaker Meira Kumar to adjourn the house and let the government answer what it was doing for the creation of a separate Telangana state.

The protesting MPs waved copies of newspapers reporting incidents of suicides in the region by at least two people over the issue.

The MPs alleged that the central government was insensitive towards their demand which had driven people to end their lives. "People are dying and nobody cares," TRS MP Vijaya Shanthi told IANS later.

As the din continued, the speaker adjourned the house till 12 noon. When the house reassembled, protests began again and she was forced to adjourn it till 2 p.m.

The issue was raised in the house amid a daylong shutdown in the region following a call given by the TRS.

An MBA student had committed suicide in Warangal town Saturday while a daily wage earner also set himself on fire in Wanaparthy town of Mahabubnagar district Monday. But he escaped with injuries.