The special session of the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Thursday started on a quiet note. As soon as the House assembled for the day, members observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect for former members who had passed away recently, after Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy read out the condolence motions.
Earlier, the Congress members came to the House wearing black ribbons to express their displeasure over the defection of 12 Congress MLAs to the TRS. CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, MLA and former minister D Sridhar Babu, Toorpu Jagga Reddy, Podem Veeraiah and Seetakka were among those who wore the black ribbons in the House.
After the defections, the CLP (Congress Legislature Party) was merged into the TRSLP since 2/3rds of the 18 CLP members had defected to the TRS. The Congress has been on a warpath ever since.