HYDERABAD: For the first time the ongoing budget session of the Assembly transacted some business without any interruption yesterday, the eleventh day of the session.
It looked like a ‘Seemandhra Assembly' session with legislators belonging to the Congress, Telugu Desam and TRS from the Telangana region continuing their boycott of the House. CPI members and those belonging to the YS Jaganmohan Reddy group also stayed away from the proceedings. A majority of Seemandhra MLAs too skipped the session today thinking that the House could not transact any business as in the last ten days. PRP floor leader K Chiranjeevi, who was busy with personal work and arrangements for the marriage of his nephew Allu Arjun, also stayed away. As a result, hardly 60 MLAs were present in the House today. The total strength of Seemandhra MLAs in the 294- member Assembly is 175.
Seemandhra TDP MLAs, who stalled the proceedings for two days demanding that state remain united, cooperated with the Chair to run the business today, perhaps on the advice of their leader N Chandrababu Naidu who preferred to stay home. Thinking that attending the session when Telangana MLAs were absent would send the wrong signals, Naidu skipped the session for the third consecutive day today. Party leaders, however, presented a feeble excuse that their chief was busy preparing strategy for Council elections.
After the question hour, the House took up debate on Kakarapalli police firing. Interestingly, the questions posed by Seemandhra legislators were answered by Telangana ministers Ponnala Lakshmaiah and P Shankar Rao.
However, some members expressed their happiness over the smooth conduct of proceedings for the first time during the current session. Deputy Speaker N Manohar too appeared a relieved and happy man as there was no disorder in the House.
TRS MLA T Harish Rao remarked that it looked like a “Seemandhra Assembly” instead of Andhra Pradesh State Assembly.
TDP chief N Chandrababu Nadiu was protecting the Kiran Kumar Reddy government, he alleged.
“The chief minister and the leader of the opposition have only one goal in common: to see that the state remains united,” he said and alleged that the Congress and TDP were cooperating with each other in the ensuing Legislative Council elections in Kadapa district.