Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Adamant that he did no wrong by carrying pepper spray in Parliament, Seemandhra MP L Rajagopal, who is against the division of Andhra Pradesh and creation of Telangana, said on Thursday that he had used it only as self-defence.
Talking to a news channel, Rajagopal said, “I always carry the pepper spray. It is a weapon of self-defence. I used it it Parliament when MPs tried to attack me.” “I had to use it as self-defence. What would I do if a mob attacks me,” he reiterated. He also said that he went to the rescue of TDP MP M Venugopala Reddy who was targeted by Congress MPs in the Well of the House.
He kept on saying that there was nothing wrong in carrying pepper spray and that he always carries it with himself. “Pepper is legally allowed as a self-defence. There is nothing wrong in it. Women carry it. It is not a harmful thing. I have a right to defend myself,” he said.
He also said that he was not worried about the consequences of today`s events. “I am not worried about my political future,” he said.
On the contentious issue of the Telangana bill, he Rajagopal maintained that it had not been introduced in Parliament. He also said that the present Congress government at the Centre was a minority government.
At the same time he blamed the Congress government for the ruckus in Parliament and levelled allegations at the Congress leadership for whatever happened today. “The Congress MPs were protesting in the Well of the House at the behest of Congress leadership,” he alleged.
Rajagopal used pepper spray in the Lok Sabha from a cannister when pandemonium prevailed in the House over the introduction of the Telangana bill. It resulted in the hospitalisation of three MPs, Vinay Kumar Pande, Ponnam Prabhakar and Balram Nai. They suffered suffocation, irritation in their eyes and coughing, They were later discharged.
There were other MPs too who were seen coming out of the Parliament with watery eyes and visible discomfort.
The MPs from Seemandhra, against the creation of Telangana tried to stall the introduction of the bill for which Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde later claimed has been tabled but was disputed by BJP and other Opposition parties.
Later, 18 MPs, who are against division of Andhra Pradesh, were suspended by the Speaker for rest of the session.
Earlier, Rajagopal was expelled from the Congress along with five other Seemandhra MPs for pressing for non-confidence motion against UPA government.
With PTI inputs
