TRS Protests Against Sadak Bandh

TRS' protests at the Legislative Assembly caused yet another session to go by without any issue being taken up.

While, up until now, it was Speaker Nadendla Manohar's refusal to allow a motion for a resolution on the Telangana issue that caused TRS MLAs to hold up the session; today, they stalled the proceedings over the Speaker disallowing a discussion on yesterday's arrests during the Telangana sadak bandh.

8 top leaders of TRS and TJAC have been booked under non-bailable cases, and have been remanded to judicial custody until 4 April.

Terming the arrests illegal, the MLAs demanded that they be discussed in the Assembly, as the arrested in question were Members of the Assembly who had been "voicing the demands of the people". Protests and chaos in the House led to the Speaker adjourning the House for ten minutes, following which the TRS MLAs took to their favourite position around the Speaker's podium, yelling "Jai Telangana" at the top of their throats.

As pleas for order by N. Manohar went unheeded, he had no option but to adjourn the House to meet the next day at 9am, with the promise of taking a decision on the arrests tomorrow.

Said Warangal MLA Vinaya Bhaskar after the session, "The Chief Minister is being very stubborn on this issue. First, he refused to meet us. Then, when he finally deigned to do so, he disavowed all knowledge of the issue. If Kiran Kumar Reddy is so clueless about what is happening in the state as to not know when members of his own Assembly are arrested, then he does not even deserve the post he holds on to fraudulently."

13 MLAs and 2 MLCs were arrested yesterday by the police in an attempt to dilute the effect of a highway hold-up taken up by the TJAC. The TJAC, including supporters of Telangana from TRS, CPI and BJP, had gathered in large numbers to block traffic at crucial points on NH7 from Kurnool to Hyderabad. The police, determined to check an "illegal" attempt at disrupting civilian life, came pre-prepared to arrest the "bandh".