VIJAYAWADA: High drama unfolded in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Monday with the ruling YSRCP and opposition TDP coming to virtual blows, pushing and jostling at the Speaker’s podium.
Both the parties alleged that their members belonging to the SC community were attacked by the other side, while Speaker Tammineni Sitaram expressed serious displeasure over the behaviour of the TDP members, who surrounded his podium from all sides, tore the papers and abused him from foul language.
The session began with the TDP MLAs insisting for a debate on the adjournment motion moved by them on the abolition of the GO 1. The TDP members raised a protest over the government’s order in which it banned public rallies on highways, panchayat and municipal roads.
The Speaker rejected the same. Following which, the TDP members allegedly displayed placards and surrounded the Speaker’s podium, demanding to withdraw the government order.
YSRC govt muzzling Oppn voice: TDP
Alleging that the YSRCP government was trying to muzzle the voice of the Opposition, the TDP members also allegedly tore papers lying on the podium and threw the pieces on the Speaker.
Even as the TDP members refused to back down and continued their sloganeering, government chief whip M Prasada Raju was reading out the Motion for Suspension of the Opposition MLAs from the House.
At this point in time, YSRC MLAs VR Eliza and TJR Sudhakar Babu, too, rushed to the podium leading to a heated argument. They thronged the podium prompting the Speaker to adjourn the House. Even after the Speaker left, both ruling and opposition MLAs continued their arguments for a while.
TDP deputy floor leader K Atchannaidu claimed that the YSRC MLAs attacked his party MLA from the SC community Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy and senior MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary and demanded the release of minute-to-minute videos of the incident. Hitting back at the Opposition, the YSRC alleged that the TDP MLAs injured their MLA Sudhakar Babu.
Blamegame rages on
Condemning the attack on party MLA, TDP supremo and leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu termed it the darkest day in the history of the Assembly. “Never in the history of Andhra Pradesh has a legislator been attacked inside the House,” Naidu said in a release.
“The attack on the MLA from the SC community was pre-planned at the behest of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy,” he alleged.
“Jagan will remain as a tainted Chief Minister who spoiled the image of the legislative bodies,” the TDP chief said and felt that the people clearly understood the policies of the YSRC with the physical attack on the MLA right on the floor of the Assembly.
Terming the ongoing session of the Assembly as a ‘Kaurava Sabha’, Naidu observed that Jagan was frustrated with the latest results of the elections to the Legislative Council from the Graduates constituencies.
Meanwhile, accusing the TDP members of attacking the Chair and MLAs in the House, the YSRC termed it as a black day for democracy and sought stringent action against the perpetrators.
Speaking to the media, MLA Eliza alleged that TDP members attacked and manhandled the Speaker, who hails from the BC community, and sought action against the TDP MLAs.
“When I tried to stop the attack on the Speaker, the TDP MLA pushed me aside. Then, MLA Sudhakar Babu intervened but he too was attacked by Veeranjaneya Swamy,” Eliza alleged and demanded that cases be filed against the erring TDP MLAs under the SC, ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act for attacking MLAs from the SC community.
Later, YSRCP MLAs called on Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and explained to him about the attack on Sudhakar Babu by the TDP MLAs. With the Opposition MLAs continuing to disrupt the proceedings of the House and also climbing the podium frequently, the Speaker gave a ruling that any member, who disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the rules of the House by persistently and wilfully obstructing the business, will be automatically suspended from the services of the House for three sittings or the remaining of the session.
Meanwhile, accusing YSRC MLAs Sudhakar Babu, Eliza, Vellampalli Srinivas and Karumuri Nageswara Rao of attacking and threatening TDP MLAs, Veeranjaneya Swamy lodged a complaint with the Thullur police station against the said persons.