Telangana Rashtra Samithi legislators were suspended from the Assembly today due to their adamant stand on withdrawal of cases against students.
The Andhra Pradesh State Assembly on Tuesday finally started discussions on the issue of farmers hit by heavy rains and floods in the coastal regions after 9 Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) members were suspended and evacuated from the House for continuing to protest against the issue of withdrawal of police cases against students.
The House witnessed walkouts by the members of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), while the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) registered its protest, but did not resort to a walkout.
Earlier, as soon as the House met at 9 am, the TRS members rushed to the Speaker's podium and started raising slogans for withdrawing all cases against students, despite Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar's plea to resume their seats.
TRS Floor Leader Etala Rajender said that there was no essence in what the government had said on lifting of cases issue. There was no link between what they preached and practiced, he said.
Home Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy clarified that out of 8000 cases booked, not all were students. Some of them were outsiders, she said. However, in the light of the future of the students, the government was ready to consider, study and scrutinise the cases.
In respect of MIM's demand that cases booked against those involved in the Mecca Masjid blast be scrapped, Indra Reddy said that those cases were also under study.
Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy made it clear that the House was not the platform for taking government decisions.
The TRS members, however, were in no mood to listen, and continued their protests at the podium. Finding that the TRS members were not relenting and continuing to stall the business of the Assembly, the Revenue Minister moved the motion for the suspension of the TRS legislators from the House for the day. Later, the TRS members were evicted from the Assembly.
Opposition Walkout
Subsequently, the Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar informed the members that the Question Hour would be taken up.
Manohar was immediately interrupted by members belonging to the TDP and the PRP, who insisted that a discussion be taken up on the issue of rain-hit farmers, and the Question Hour be put off.
BJP MLA G Kishen Reddy said if the House could not go on as scheduled, then they should tour the flood-affected areas.
The CPM and Lok Satta Party leaders were of the opinion that after spending crores of rupees on the state Assembly meetings, a debate on farmers was a must.
PRP leader Chiranjeevi favoured cancellation of Question Hour, and discussion on farmers' problems. When the minister agreed, the opposition raised slogans for withdrawal of cases against students.
The Home Minister rose and said that the government was ready to drop the cases, but the cases were under scrutiny, and that all those 800 booked were not students.
Finding that the Home Minister was unrelenting, the opposition members from TDP, CPI, and BJP protested, and staged a walk-out over the issue.
Courtesy: INN