VIJAYAWADA: Heated arguments were exchanged between the ruling TDP and opposition YSRCP corporators in the council meeting on Thursday over the proposal made by TDP leader and deputy mayor Gogula Venkata Ramana to write a letter to the Union government to accord Special Category Status to the State.
In his proposal, Ramana mentioned that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had waited four years for the SCS and a letter should be written by the Council to the Union government urging it to grant the coveted tag to the State. The proposal irked YSRCP corporators, who asked why the ruling TDP had not passed a resolution in the last four years. Some YSRCP corporators protested against the ruling TDP and raised a slogan "down down Chandrababu.''
Mayor Koneru Sreedhar, who chaired the council meeting, immediately suspended YSRCP corporators J Purnamma and Shaik Bibi Jaan saying it is not a good practise to raise slogans against the Chief Minister. Sreedhar said the Chief Minister is the representative of the five crore people of the State. "How can we tolerate slogans against him in the council meeting?," he asked.
With the situation going out of control, Sreedhar asked the VMC staff to forcibly take away the two corporators from the council hall. On the other hand, YSRCP floor leader B Punyaseela, corporators Chandana Suresh, P Sandhyarani, Shaik Asif, K Damodar and others tried to prevent the staff from forcefully removing the two corporators from the council hall.
TDP leader and deputy mayor Gogula Ramana, senior corporator Chennupati Gandhi and others engaged in a heated argument with the YSRCP corporators. Finally, two women corporators were forcibly evacuated from the council meeting hall. Later, the angry YSRCP corporators staged protests outside the council hall against the suspension of two corporators.