NEW DELHI: Opposition BJP on Thursday blamed Congress for the “disgraceful” events in Lok Sabha on Thursday noon, but was unlikely to backtrack on its decision to support the creation of Telangana.

“I am in Parliament from 1971, I have never seen something like this. It is disgraceful for the prime minister and the government. This controversial bill is wrong. They are desperate to bring it. In this situation, the government should only have a vote on account and get it over with,” BJP veteran L K Advani said.

Advani and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj called the incident shameful and a “drama” enacted by the ruling party,

Swaraj blamed Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for what had happened. “The MP who used the pepper spray is known to be close to the Congress leadership. Even if they are talking of suspending members it is a drama, for they should have first suspended their own party’s chief minister in Andhra Pradesh for going against the creation of Telangana,” she said when asked about the MPs being suspended for the Thursday’s act. “It is part of a design,” she added.

The main opposition party also disputed the government’s contention that the controversial Telangana bill was introduced in Lok Sabha, saying parliamentary procedures were not followed.

However, the party was reconciled to the fact that it is the Speaker who had the final say on the matter. More importantly, party does not wish to reveres its stand favouring the creation of Telangana. An old and consistent votary of Telangana, the party sees little profit in turning its back now on the region where it enjoys pockets of support.

Although the party is loath to alleviate the agony that Congress has inflicted upon itself by wavering over Telangana until the last few days of the current Lok Sabha, a strong school in the party will not like to inherit the fraught task of sorting out the statehood issue and may distract the attention of a Narendra Modi-led government. “Congress alone should fix what it broke,” said a senior party leader, adding that while the partition of AP was not going to be a smooth affair, Congress made it a whole lot messier.

It is sanguine that its pro-Telangana posture will not affect its ties with Telugu Desam Party which is opposed to the partition of Andhra Pradesh. A strong school reckons that Gujarat CM Narendra Modi’s projection as party’s PM candidate has led to a groundswell of sorts for the BJP, a factor that Naidu will be constrained to take into account after suffering two successive defeats at Congress’s hands.

But the consistency on Telangana did not stop party from attacking Congress. Terming the incident as “disgraceful” and “sad” for Parliament, Advani attacked the government, saying it was hell-bent on getting the Bill passed anyhow even if it means suspension or expulsion of members.

“Whatever happened, it has crossed all limits… It now seems that all that has happened is part of the design because Congress wanted to create pandemonium and commotion so that all members leave the Lok Sabha and then they could do a make-believe introduction of the Telangana Bill,” Swaraj said.

She also contested the government claims that the bill was introduced in the House amid pandemonium, saying there was no supplementary agenda given to her or listed in the business of the House.

“I was sitting in the House even after the spray incident and wanted to stay inside till I was advised by marshals to leave as it could cause harm to my health. As long as I was inside the House, not even an “I” of the bill was read. I don’t know when was the bill introduced,” she said.

TMC MP Saugata Ray wrote a strong letter to the Speaker protesting against the manner in which the Bill was introduced.