Congress Walks Out Of Assembly Over Employment Issues

The Congress attempted in vain to force the Telangana Assembly to take up its adjournment motion before Question Hour today, too, and heated exchanges over the issue between the party and the treasury benches disrupted the proceedings for nearly 30 minutes.

On the third day of the winter session of the Assembly when Question Hour began as usual, Leader Of Opposition Jana Reddy insisted that the Congress party's adjournment motion with regard to irregularities in the Group-I exams and functioning of the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) be given precedence over Question Hour.

Speaker S Madhusudhana Chary refused to yield to the demand of the Congress leader by reminding him that as per the decision arrived at in the BAC meeting, adjournment motions would be taken up only after Question Hour. He then asked the questions listed for the day to be taken up.

Even as Irrigation and Legislative Affairs Minister Harish Rao was replying to a question pertaining to his ministry, Reddy continued to persist that the Chair first listen to his contention on the issue and then take its decision.

Reddy pointed out that members had a right to move adjournment motions on important issues concerning the state and the people. He expressed regret that even before giving him an opportunity to explain the need for taking up the Congress' motion, the Chair was taking a decision. He said that the people should know that his party had taken up their cause in the House, and that if the Congress MLAs were not allowed to present their case, they would be forced to stage a protest walkout.

Minister Harish Rao expressed regret that a senior and experienced leader like Jana Reddy was trying to deviate from the set practices and traditions. When it was already agreed in the BAC that adjournment motions would be taken up only after Question Hour, it was unfortunate that the Leader Of Opposition was trying to deviate from it, he said. He also read out the report of the decisions taken at the BAC meeting held on October 26.

Jana Reddy received support from BJP Floor leader G Kishan Reddy who pointed out that earlier adjournment motions were taken up before Question Hour, and that it was also the right of every member and party to move adjournment motions on important issues concerning the people. He observed that the Chair anyway had the discretionary power to decide whether a motion needed to be given precedence over Question Hour based on the merit and importance of the issue mentioned in it.

MIM Floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi agreed with the contention of the Congress and BJP about the importance of adjournment motions and the right of every party to move them in the House, but said that it was also imperative to put into practice the decisions taken at the BAC. He said that of late, especially after the proceedings had started to be telecast live, adjournments were being raised on every issue for publicity. It had become a "tamasha" nowadays, he observed. He also pointed out how Jana Reddy was let down by his own party members on Monday when they had stayed put in the House and he alone staged the walkout.

After listening to the views of the members, the Speaker put an end to the arguments by announcing that Question Hour needed to be completed first and only then adjournment motions could be considered.

Jana Reddy staged a walk-out in protest against the government's attitude in running the House. Speaking at the Assembly Media Point later along with party MLAs D K Aruna, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, T Rammohan Reddy, Padmavathi Reddy, S A Sampath Kumar and others, Reddy said that his party had not accepted the government proposal at the BAC meeting that adjournment motions should be taken up after Question Hour. He also disputed Harish Rao's argument that a unanimous decision was taken in the BAC meeting that adjournment motions would be taken up only after Question Hour.

He alleged that the Speaker was giving priority to ruling party members and was not even looking at the opposition benches. He also alleged that the Speaker was cutting the mikes of the opposition members even before listening to them. He said that the House was being run in an undemocratic manner and hence his party was boycotting it for the entire day.