The security personnel at the Andhra Pradesh Assembly refused to allow the YSR Congress MLA into the Assembly upon the orders of the Speaker.
High political drama unfolded within and outside the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Friday on the issue of the suspension of film actor and YSR Congress Party MLA R K Roja after the Hyderabad High Court set aside the Speaker's suspension order against her on Thursday.
Since morning a tense situation prevailed at the Assembly premises with tight security enforced, with the police, security personnel and women marshals posted at the entry point as the suspended YSRCP member, armed with the copy of the court order, was expected to come and take part in the proceedings of the House. The other YSRCP members also assembled at the entrance to accord a warm welcome to their Party colleague.
The security personnel stopped Roja from entering the House on the plea that they had the requisite orders from Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao not to allow her. When asked to show the orders of the Speaker, the police and security personnel reiterated they had been given the orders and therefore would not allow the MLA from entering the House.
What was intriguing was that when Roja wanted to at least go to the Party office in the House, that, too, was denied.
Taking a strong view of the "high-handed" and "autocratic" actions of the TDP government and the partisan stance of the Speaker despite the High Court orders, the YSRCP MLAs, along with Roja and party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, sat on a protest dharna at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the Assembly premises. Even the media personnel were barred from entering the area where the YSRCP MLAs were staging a dharna.
Meanwhile, the YSRCP MLCs, on coming to know about the drama being enacted on the Assembly premises, walked from the Legislative Council and joined the protest.
The police and security personnel objected to the YSRCP legislators' dharna on the Assembly premises, and prevailed upon them to move out. Thereupon, Jaganmohan Reddy, accompanied by Roja and the other Party MLAs and MLCs, marched to Raj Bhavan to lodge a complaint against the TDP government and the Speaker against their "high-handed" action in not allowing Roja to attend the ongoing proceedings in the Assembly despite the High Court order. However, since Governor E S L Narsimhan was not available, they lodged the complaint with the Governor's Secretary.
Even as the drama was being enacted outside the Assembly, the Legislature Secretary filed an appeal before the Division Bench of the High Court pleading for reversal of the interim order of the single judge on the ground that the judiciary had no locus standi in the matter and that it was the prerogative of the legislature to take any action against any MLA. The appeal was filed on behalf of the TDP government. The Division Bench posted the matter for hearing on Monday.
In the meantime, Speaker Sivaprasada Rao clarified in the House that the suspension action against the YSRCP member was taken by the House. Copies of the court order would be circulated to all the members, and after a discussion on the matter on Monday, the required steps would be taken.
It is pertinent to note that the purported discussion on the "court order" was fixed for Monday, the day when the Division Bench would take up the appeal filed on behalf of the government. Therefore, there is no clarity on which court order - whether the one setting aside the suspension or the one to be delivered on the appeal - the House would discuss.
After their meeting with the Governor's Secretary at Raj Bhavan, Jaganmohan Reddy, Roja and others went hammer and tongs against the attitude of the government and also the Assembly Speaker for the blatant disregard for the rule of law and the judiciary. It was a black day for democracy in the State, they alleged, and added that the people, who were watching the "dirty game" being played by the Chief Minister, would give a fitting reply in the coming days.
The YSRCP president also lashed out at the Speaker for his actions when the Party had moved a no-confidence motion against the latter. He charged that though there was 14 days as per the rules to bring the no-confidence motion in the House, the Speaker had brought it for discussion immediately.
"This was done to prevent our Party from issuing a whip to our members, and thus helping the defecting YSRCP members to escape being disqualified," he alleged.