VIJAYAWADA: Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu and 12 other TDP members were suspended for a day after they stormed the podium stalling the proceedings on the first day of the winter session of the Assembly. Probably for the first time, the Opposition leader stormed the podium and squatted on the floor in front of the Speaker's Chair.
The House took up a short discussion on agriculture and cooperation when TDP member Nimmala Ramanaidu raised the issue of flood relief for the damage caused due to Cyclone Nivar. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy clarified that officials have been asked to complete the enumeration of losses by December 15 and pay compensation by December 31 in the form of input subsidy.
Opposition leader Chandrababu Naidu urged the Chair to give him the mic to speak but this was declined as his party member Ramanaidu was speaking. This led to the TDP members rising to their feet demanding that Chandrababu Naidu be allowed to speak. On being refused, a visibly angry Chandrababu Naidu rushed to the podium and squatted on the floor in protest.
Objecting to the action of Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister said the Opposition leader is intervening even as his own party member is speaking and trying to disrupt the proceedings. "He resorts to rowdyism and he himself squats before the podium as if injustice was done to him. It will not do. We will go ahead with our speech, please give permission," he requested the Speaker.
Pointing out that the short discussion on Agriculture was taken up as decided in the Business Advisory Committee, the Speaker wanted to know why members of the Opposition are disrupting the proceedings. Members of treasury benches criticised the action of Naidu and his party MLAs and said it was being done to hog the headlines in the media.
When the members of Opposition failed to return even after repeated appeals by the Speaker, the Leader of the House intervened and said the winter session of Parliament and the Telangana Assembly were also not held in view of the COVID pandemic.
"But, we are conducting the winter session of the Assembly as there are several important Bills that need to be passed and it is a requirement as per procedure. We too were in Opposition, but never behaved in such a manner to disrupt the proceedings. They are resorting to bulldozing tactics and threatening gestures. People are eagerly waiting to listen what the government has to say with regard to flood relief," he said and suggested that the speaker call
marshals and remove members of the Opposition from the House.
The Minister for I&PR Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) introduced the motion to suspend 13 members including N Chandrababu Naidu from the House for one day. Following this, Speaker T Sitaram suspended them and asked them to leave the House. However, when they continued to stay in the House, marshals were called and they were physically taken out from the House.