AP Budget Session Severely Disrupted

As many as 12 MLAs - 7 from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), 4 from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and 1 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - were suspended for the day from the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly after they tried to disrupt the state budget presentation speech by Finance Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy on Wednesday.

The suspensions were ordered by Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar after a resolution to this effect was moved after MLAs from the TRS, CPI and the BJP attempted to disrupt Ramnarayan Reddy's speech by trying to snatch copies of the Budget papers.

The attempts forced Reddy to deliver his speech guarded by a ring of marshals and Congress MLAs. In doing so, he became the second person from Nellore district to present the state budget, the first one being former Chief Minister with an additional portfolio of Finance Minister, Bejawada Gopala Reddy, in 1956.

After the budget speech was almost over, the Telugu Desam Party MLAs from Seemandhra regions were seen shouting slogans while their party colleagues from Telangana staged a walkout and boycotted the Budget presentation.

Besides this, 13 MLAs, known to be loyal to former Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, boycotted the speech and left the Assembly Hall shouting slogans.

Earlier, marshals and Congress MLAs had to physically prevent the TRS MLAs from snatching the copies of the Budget speech from Ramnarayan Reddy's hands.

Even earlier, Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar was forced to adjourn the session 8 minutes after it assembled after the TRS MLAs refused to stop their slogan-shouting.

Fifteen minutes later, the House resumed its session, only to be adjourned after the TRS MLAs shouted slogans in favour of Telangana, while loyalists of Jaganmohan Reddy gave voice to slogans calling for immediate release of fee reimbursement arrears.

Manohar announced that the Question Hour would be postponed because of the time lost, and also declared that the Zero Hour would be taken up immediately. This prompted Jagan's supporters to shout slogans against the government over the fee arrears issue, while a few Congress MLAs from Telangana shouted slogans in favour of a separate state. The TRS MLAs did not join in the slogan-shouting this time around since they were staging a sit-in near the Speaker's podium.

Ramnarayan Reddy, at this point, stood up to request the members to allow proceedings to function and also let him begin his budget presentation. This prompted slogan-shouting again, leading Manohar to announce a 10-minute adjournment.

As soon as the House reassembled, the resolution to suspend the MLAs for the day was moved, after which the budget presentation resumed.

Courtesy: INN