For the second consecutive day on Tuesday, separate Telangana state issue rocked the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) stalling the proceedings of the House demanding a resolution on the creation of a separate state.
Barring the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), opposition parties TRS, BJP, CPI and CPM repeated Monday’s act in the Assembly creating pandemonium and uproar leading to its adjournment for the day without the transaction of any business. Speaker Nadendla Manohar made repeated attempts to evolve a consensus on the conduct of the listed business in the House (as decided in the Business Advisory Council meeting) but to no avail as the political parties stuck to their respective stand on different issues.
As soon as the House commenced on Tuesday morning, the speaker announced that he was rejecting adjournment motions moved by TDP, TRS, YSRCP, MIM and other parties on various issues. TRS members, with placards in hands, stormed the speaker’s podium demanding that a resolution be adopted for creation of separate Telangana state, while the TDP moved an adjournment motion seeking sacking of ‘tainted ministers’ from the state cabinet, scrapping of 26 controversial GOs issued during the late YSR’s regime which paved way for illegal land allotments and mining, and regarding power shortage in the state, which however, was disallowed by the speaker.
Minister for Legislative Affairs, D Sridhar Babu requested the protesting members to let the House transact business as agreed by all the floor leaders in the BAC meeting, but the opposition did not relent and continued with their protest.
TRS floor leader Etala Rajender demanded that the Assembly immediately pass a resolution urging the centre to take immediate steps for formation of separate Telangana state and his demand was echoed by BJP Floor Leader E Lakshminarayana and CPI Leader G Mallesham. While, CPM member Julakanti Ranga Reddy said that House should sent a message to the central government that there is a strong feeling among the people for Telangana statehood.
TDP deputy leader, Ashok Gajapathi Raju said inspite of an elected government in the state, there is no governance at all. “We want a clean government but it seems it is not possible as there is a dishonest cabinet with convicted ministers being allowed to continue with their portfolios”, he said. He appealed the speaker to help protect the government from the ‘virus of non-governance’ and reiterated his demand that the ‘tainted ministers’ be sacked from the cabinet immediately.
Sridhar Babu took strong objection to Raju’s comment that ‘the convicted ministers were continuing in the cabinet’. He pointed out that no minister was convicted so far and sought an apology from the TDP members for his comment.