Proceedings in Andhra Pradesh assembly disrupted for second day

Normal business was disrupted for the second day in a row in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly today as opposition parties Praja Rajyam (PRP) and Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) forced adjournment of the House three times on different issues.

While the TRS was demanding that all cases filed against students in connection with the pro-Telangana agitation be withdrawn forthwith, the PRP wanted the Congress government to come to immediate rescue of farmers who were pushed into misery because of nature's fury this year.

Main Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), too, joined the protest on the farmers' issue in the later stage, leading to chaos in the Assembly.

The House was adjourned within five minutes after the day's proceedings began at 9 am as the TRS and PRP MLAs rushed to Speaker's podium holding placards and raising slogans.

Deputy speaker Nadendla Manohar, who was in the Chair, appealed to the members to resume their seats as the government was ready to make statements on the issues raised by them. But the unrelenting MLAs continued their protest.

Manohar immediately adjourned the proceedings for 15 minutes, but the House resumed only after 65 minutes. Even then the TRS and the PRP members surrounded the Speaker's podium raising slogans on the respective issues.

TDP members, too, rushed into the well of the House demanding immediate discussion on the farmers' plight.

Amidst the din, the Deputy Speaker announced postponement of all questions listed for the day and asked legislative affairs minister D Sridhar Babu to move three Bills.

He introduced the Andhra Pradesh Micro Finance Institutions (Regulation of Money Lending) Bill, 2010, the Andhra Pradesh Self-Help Groups Women (Leasing of Agriculture Land) Bill, 2010 and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2010. through a voice vote.

Manohar repeatedly pleaded with the agitating members to cooperate and let the House transact business, but to no avail. "It is very unfortunate. The House cannot function in this manner," he lamented and adjourned the proceedings for the second time for 30 minutes.

He later called floor leaders of all parties for a meeting to end the stalemate.

However, the deputy speaker's efforts to bring about an order in the assembly proved futile as the din continued even after the House resumed after the second adjournment. As a result, the proceedings were adjourned for the third time for 15 minutes.

Earlier, the TDP MLAs conducted a `paadayatra' (foot march) from the NTR Ghat to the Assembly demanding that the Government immediately come to the rescue of the farmers in coastal districts whose crops were destroyed in heavy rains last week.

Leader of opposition N Chandrababu Naidu led the `paadayatra'.

Meanwhile, the 10 TRS MLAs were taken into custody by police after midnight last night as they sat on a `dharna' outside home minister P Sabita Indra Reddy's residence here.

The MLAs earlier held talks with the home minister and pressed their demand for immediate withdrawal of all cases filed against agitating students.

Sabita Reddy, however, made it clear that it was not possible to lift all cases. Only such cases that were not grave in nature could be lifted, she told the TRS legislators and assured that she would make a statement in the House.

The adamant TRS members staged a sit-in outside her residence following which the police took them into custody and set them free at the far-away Golconda police station.

Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, on the other hand, held a meeting this morning with Ministers and Congress MLAs from Telangana and discussed the issue of the cases lodged against agitators.

The MLAs wanted all the cases against students withdrawn, but the chief minister reportedly told them that every case has to be examined in detail before taking any decision.