UPA govt bulldozed Parliament in passing Telangana Bill: Mamata Banerjee

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused UPA government of bulldozing parliament in passing Telengana Bill in Lok Sabha and said her party MPs will meet the President soon to express their opposition to the way the legislation was approved.

"The way it happened, it is illegal. I have no language to condemn the way the Bill was passed. UPA government has bulldozed Parliament. Our MPs will meet the President to express resentment the way the Bill was passed," she told reporters here.

Earlier in the day in Kolkata, Banerjee was critical of the Centre's Telangana move, wondering why the issue was taken up before the election.

Soon after the passage of the legislation, senior TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhyay described it as a "blot on Indian democracy" and said the "passage was not according to parliamentary norms."

"We had proposed amendment and we sought division of votes but it was not done. I fail to understand how within one minute 300-400 votes could be counted," he said.

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014, which had been hanging fire for long, was adopted by voice vote along with 38 official amendments, with main opposition BJP coming on board.

It was passed amid din and strong protests by members from Seemandhra region, including ministers.