HYDERABAD: Satirical exchange of words between the ruling and opposition benches marked the congratulatory speeches by members after Kodela Siva Prasad Rao assumed office as speaker on the second day of the first session of the Assembly of the new state of Andhra Pradesh here on Friday. While some members wanted own Assembly and Secretariat buildings in the new state, instead of in the joint capital here, the speaker’s remark “Why should it be like a government and Assembly in exile? Let us have our Assembly and Secretariat in our own state at the earliest” reflected the mood of the House.
TWO MORE TAKE OATH:
Proceedings of the day commenced at 9 am with pro tem speaker Pathivada Narayana Swamy Naidu administering the oath as members of the House to two of the six MLAs who did not take the aath on the first day. The two were YSRC MLAs Jyothula Nehru and P Ravindranath Reddy. The other four _ G Shyamsundar Sivaji, B Satyanarayana Murthy, GV Anjaneyulu and Y Saiprasad Reddy _ are yet to take the oath. After the declaration of the unanimous election of the speaker, the House was adjourned for 10 minutes. Siva Prasad Rao’s was the only nomination filed and YSRC supported his candidature.
SPEAKER CONGRATULATED:
When the House re-commenced at 9:15 am, chief minister N Chandababu Naidu and opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy took Siva Prasad Rao to the speaker’s podium and made him sit in the speaker’s chair at 9:22 am. They then shook hands with Rao congratulating him and were followed by other legislators. Congratulating Rao on becoming the first speaker of the new state Assembly, the chief minister described him as an able and efficient leader and administrator. ‘’He was an able surgeon, brought into politics by TDP founder NT Rama Rao in 1983. He is committed to uplift of the poor and downtrodden. He is the reason for the growth of the Indo-American Cancer Hospital. As home, irrigation or panchayat raj minister, he performed his duties with sincerity and tried to make a difference,” Naidu said and wished Rao all the best in his new job
EXCHANGE OF WORDS:
In his congratulatory speech, Jaganmohan Reddy said that when an experienced leader Kodela Siva Prasad Rao was proposed for the speakers’s post and Yanamala Ramakrishnudu sought an unanimous election, his party readily extended support. Quoting the first speaker of the Lok Sabha, Jagan wanted the first speaker of truncated AP to discharge his duties in an exceptional manner without prejudice or bias. Describing the ruling and opposition parties as two wheels of a cart called democracy, he said speaker is the axle that connects the two wheels. He said his party would represent the voiceless people. When he said that there were only two parties in the House _ the ruling and the opposition _ BJP legislators raised objection. “The BJP, by virtue of being an ally of the ruling party, is being clubbed with the ruling party. If it comes out to play an opposition role, it will be a third party,” Jagan said. Interrupting him, legislative affairs minister Yanamala Ramkrishnudu said that they would be in the opposition permanently, and corrected himself immediately and said “as ruling party”. Jagan said that in 1999, his late father YS Rajasekhara Reddy was sitting in the opposition and became chief minister after the next election and the present CM was sitting in the opposition. ‘’Let God and people decide who will sit where. All we want now for the speaker to discharge his duty without any prejudice and upholding the democratic values,” he said. Deputy chief minister KE Krishnamurthy and other legislators also congratulated Kodela on becoming the first speaker. When TDP’s Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdary remarked about many leaders now in the ruling and opposition parties had begun their career with the TDP, YSRC members objected and pointed that Chandrababu Naidu himself had started his political career as a Congress MLA. When they said Chowdary had tried to quit the TDP and approached the YSRC, Chowdary said he would always be loyal to TDP. YSRC’s Bhuma Nagi Reddy regretted that leaders were referring only to two parties instead of three parties in the House. Yanamala Ramakrishnudu emphasised the need for upholding the ethical values and democratic values by members and appealed to them to cooperate with the speaker in running the House in a smooth manner. “Focus should be on debating people’s issues rather than on nitpicking each other’s faults,’’ he said.
KODELA NOSTALGIC:
Thanking everyone for electing him as speaker, Siva Prasad Rao sought cooperation from every member for smooth functioning of the House. Going nostalgic, he recalled his maiden entry into the Assembly in 1983. “Today, I am assuming charge as the first speaker of the new Andhra Pradesh. This is the place where budgets are made, people’s problems are discussed and laws that impact their lives are made. We need to uphold the integrity and respect of the House through our impeccable behaviour. As it is said, the speaker should speak less and let others speak more. A situation should not arise when the speaker is forced to speak more,” he said. Pointing out the House had a large number of firsttime MLAs, he emphasised the need for training programmes for them to know the rules and regulations, and decorum of the House. He said he was happy to be the first speaker of AP Assembly as the first speaker of the new Andhra state in 1953 was also from Narasaraopet.
JAGAN OPPN LEADER:
After announcing that the House recognised YS Jaganmohan Reddy as leader of the opposition, the speaker re-administered oath to five MLAs who had not taken the oath in the proper form. They are RS Jawahar, Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, D Rajenderanath, M Venkatramana and P Ravindranath Reddy. They had taken oath either in the name of their parents or the deity they worship. Ravindranath Reddy swore in the name of YSR and Vijayamma. Thereafter, the House was adjourned for the day.
Power Goes Off for a Fleeting Time
Even as the government of Andhra Pradesh is seriously contemplating on its next course of action in regard to PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements), the Assembly in session witnessed power cut, albeit for a few seconds. Though it was a flicker of lights for mere seconds, it became a point of discussion outside the House.