T slogans disrupt Prez address

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The Presidential address in Parliament on Monday was disrupted by some Congress members from Andhra Pradesh who raised pro-Telangana slogans towards the fag end of the speech.

President Pratibha Patil's 45-minute address to the joint sitting of both Houses went on smoothly except towards the end when some Congress members from Andhra Pradesh rose from their seats, displayed pro-Telangana banners and shouted "Jai Telangana" and "We want Telangana".

However, when Vice-President Hamid Ansari rose to speak, these members resumed their seats.

Later, when the President was leaving the Central Hall of Parliament after the ceremony got over, these members tried to draw her attention towards their cause by raising slogans again. They also showed her the banners they were carrying.

When Patil mentioned in her address that she was hopeful that the Women's Reservation Bill - already passed by the Rajya Sabha - would soon be taken up by the Lok Sabha, members thumped their desks.

Another round of applause came when she appreciated the recent fight for democracy in Egypt.

Some members looked disinterested when the speech was being rendered. A few of them were seen chatting while Patil spoke, while two senior members dozed off during the speech. Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi was seen engaged in a conversation with a member sitting next to him.

BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy, occupying a seat on the last bench with Congress members Jitendra Singh and Pratap Singh Bajwa, also kept talking to colleagues sitting nearby.

Before the address began, senior BJP leader L K Advani was seen having a word with JD(S) chief and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee sat next to Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and there was no sign of any tension perhaps because of the understanding reached between the government and the Opposition on ending the stalemate over the JPC issue in the 2G scam.

Some MPs, including actor-turned politician Raj Babbar, walked in when Patil was halfway through her speech.