VIJAYAWADA: Mild tension prevailed for a while at Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) council meeting on Tuesday when the ruling YSRC and TDP corporators engaged in a heated argument over additional taxes and development of the city.
TDP corporators Kesineni Swetha, N Bala Swami, Jasti Sambasiva Rao and Chennupati Usha Rani staged a protest in the council hall and raised slogans against Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for burdening the public with hefty taxation.
TDP corporator M Prasad came down heavily on Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao for conducting the council meeting under his supervision without giving any scope for discussion on development of the city.
Former minister and MLA Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao alleged that TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu had diverted around Rs 450 crore sanctioned by the Centre for Vijayawada development towards the construction of Amaravati. The stormwater drainage project commissioned during the TDP regime was still progressing due to poor planning, he said.
Vellampalli also dared Naidu to participate in a debate over Vijayawada development.Later, Mayor Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi suspended TDP corporators from the council meeting. Marshals swung into action and shifted the TDP corporators out of the council hall.
MLA Malladi Vishnu rued that TDP corporators were intentionally obstructing the council meetings. Vijayawada witnessed a holistic development in the last three years. “We will counter false propaganda being carried out by the TDP corporators and dare them to participate in a debate over development of the city,” Vishnu said.