Andhra Pradesh approved a key BJP-led NDA government enactment by passing the GST Bill in the state Assembly on Tuesday amidst uproarious scenes and a ruckus created by the opposition YSR Congress Party members.
A special session of AP Assembly was convened for the purpose, and even as the Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu moved the Bill, the YRSCP members stormed the podium and raised slogans demanding a discussion on the farmers' plight, especially that of the chilli farmers who have been agitating for a minimum support price.
The YSRCP members holding placards and shouting slogans entered the podium and even surrounded Speaker Kodela Siva Prasad Rao. But though the House was plunged into chaos by that, the Finance Minister moved the Bill and asserted the need for its endorsement as it would benefit all the states.
Speaking on the Bill, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the Central government had brought in the Bill to eliminate multiple taxes, and that it would benefit both the states and the Centre. He described the enactment as a revolutionary move in the league of the 1991 economic reforms.
Amidst the din and disturbance created by the YSRCP members, the Bill was passed, thus endorsing the central government's move.
The Assembly also passed an amendment to the Public Services Regulatory Act. The Speaker then adjourned the House sine die.