Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Assembly was
on Saturday adjourned without transacting any business for the
second day in a row as the opposition parties Praja Rajyam
and Telangana Rashtra Samiti disrupted the proceedings on two
different issues.
While the TRS demanded that all cases booked against
students in connection with the pro-Telangana agitation be
withdrawn forthwith, the PRP wanted the government to extend
immediate help to farmers who were pushed into misery because
of nature’s fury this year.
The Telugu Desam Party too later joined the protest on
the farmers’ issue leading to chaos in the House.
Repeated attempts by Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar,
who was in the chair, to bring the House to order failed and
the opposition members persisting with their demand even
stormed into the Well of the House.
Manohar announced that Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy
would make a statement on the cases against students and
appealed to the members to get back to their seats. But the
TRS members remained adamant.
The House was adjourned within 5 minutes after the
day’s proceedings began at 9 am as the TRS and the PRP MLAs
rushed to Speaker’s podium holding placards and raising
slogans.
Manohar immediately adjourned the proceedings for 15
minutes but the House resumed only after 65 minutes.
Even then the TRS and the PRP members surrounded the
Speaker’s podium raising slogans on the respective issues. The
Telugu Desam Party legislators too rushed into the Well of the
House demanding that the House immediately discuss the
farmers’ plight.
Amidst the din, the Deputy Speaker announced postponing
all questions listed for the day and asked Minister for
Legislative Affairs D Sridhar Babu to move three Bills.
Sridhar Babu introduced the Andhra Pradesh Micro Finance
Institutions (Regulation of Money Lending) Bill, 2010, the
Andhra Pradesh Self-Help Groups Women (Leasing of Agriculture
Land) Bill, 2010 and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal
Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2010 through a voice vote.
Manohar repeatedly pleaded with the agitating members to
cooperate and let the House transact business but to no avail.
"It is very unfortunate. The House cannot function in
this manner," he lamented and adjourned the proceedings for
the second time for 30 minutes.
He later called floor leaders of all parties for a
meeting to end the stalemate.
However, the Deputy Speaker`s efforts to bring order in
the House proved futile as the din continued even after the
House resumed after the second adjournment. As a result the
proceedings were adjourned for the third time for 15 minutes.
The same unruly scene prevailed when the House resumed
after the third adjournment. "It is a very unfortunate
situation and I am left with no other choice but to adjourn
the House till Monday," Manohar announced.
Earlier, the TDP MLAs led by Leader of Opposition N
Chandrababu Naidu conducted a padayatra (foot march) from the
NTR Ghat to the Assembly demanding that the government
immediately come to the rescue of the farmers in coastal
districts whose crops were destroyed in heavy rains last week.
Meanwhile, the 10 TRS MLAs were arrested by police late
night on Friday as they sat on a dharna outside Home Minister
P Sabita Indra Reddy’s residence.
The MLAs earlier held talks with the Home Minister and
pressed their demand for immediate withdrawal of all cases
booked against agitating students.
The Home Minister pointed out that it was not possible to
withdraw all cases. Only such cases that were not grave in
nature could be lifted, she told the TRS legislators and
assured that she would make a statement in the House.
However, the TRS members refused to pay heed and sat on a
dharna outside the Home Minister?s residence following which
the police took them into custody and set them free at the
far-away Golconda police station.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy held a meeting this
morning with ministers and Congress MLAs from Telangana region
and discussed the issue. The MLAs wanted all cases against
students be withdrawn but the Chief Minister reportedly told
them that every case has to be examined in detail before
taking any decision.
PTI
