The debate on no-confidence motion began on a note of charges traded by the ruling and the TRS benches, with T Harish Rao asserting that Telangana had got a raw deal in the Congress regime, and the CM hitting back saying that it was the Congress that had made a leader from Telangana the Prime Minister.
Initiating the debate under Rule 75, Harish Rao narrated a sequence of events, to prove why he believes that Telangana had got a raw deal ever since the state was formed.
He alleged that the people of Telangana were exploited, and that the Congress had always deceived the people of the region.
Intervening, the Chief Minister said that the Congress had made a leader of the region - P V Narasimha Rao - the country's Prime Minister. At one stage, he also said that he diddn't become the chief minister at the TRS' mercy, and that he was chosen by the Congress high command.
Harish Rao hit back, asking why there was no memorial of P V Narasimha Rao in Delhi.
Jagga Reddy said that the TRS has been using the Telangana movement for trade-offs. His remark against TRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao evoked sharp responses from the TRS benches. Etela Rajender said that it was not fair on his part to comment on a person who is not in the House.
Tempers ran high when the Chief Minister and Harish Rao were drawn into a verbal duel on the allocation of funds to regions. The ruling and opposition parties questioned each other's contribution to the development of Telangana.
Etela Rajendra demanded an apology from the Chief Minister, who cooled down and said that he belongs to "both Hyderabad and Telangana". Harish Rao also withdrew his remark later.
At one stage, Legislative Affairs minister D Sridhar Babu said, "TRS is not the sole representative of Telangana. Even we have a stake in it." (INN)
filed in:T Harish Rao, Telangana Agitation, N Kiran Kumar Reddy, AP Budget Session 2013