Suspension of MPs not over Telangana issue: Congress

New Delhi: The suspension of eight Congress MPs from Telangana region may be unprecedented but had nothing to do with the separate statehood issue and was resorted to for repeated disruptions in the Lok Sabha, Congress and Government insisted today. “It has nothing to do with demand on the substantive matter. They have only been suspended from the services of the House for four days,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal told reporters here. The minister denied that there was any message behind the action and Government only wanted the House to run. Dismissing suggestions that the Congress and the Government were not serious on Telangana issue, party spokesperson Manish Tewari said, “both party and government continue to be extremely serious and extremely engaged about the whole Telangana issue.” He was answering queries on the extraordinary step of Lok Sabha suspending eight party members from Telangana. [caption id=“attachment_287350” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“A pro Telangana demonstration. PTI”]A   [/caption] “Telangana continues to remain a sensitive issue. It is not easy to gerimander state boundaries. There have been competing and conflicting claims that need to be reconciled completely.” “…When you work with a certain organisation, there are ways and means under which an issue can be highlighted. The business of the country has also to run. There are important business pending before the House,” Tewari said. He said that Congress had been “very patient” with its leaders from the Telangana region but at a certain stage, Parliamentary unit of the party felt that certain actions are needed and the action was taken, which is “offcourse limited to four days of suspension”. The Congress spokesperson clarified that action against the Congress MPs from the region does not mean that the party is not sensitive on Telangana issue. PTI