The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Proceedings stalled, House adjourned

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 08, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Proceedings stalled, House adjourned

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC. 7. The winter session of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly began on a note of confrontation today with the Telugu Desam Party stalling the entire day's proceedings demanding an exclusive discussion on the controversy over irrigation tenders.

There was bedlam as slogan-shouting TDP members rushed to the well of the House forcing the Speaker, K. R. Suresh Reddy, to adjourn the House twice, the second time for the day without transacting any business.

Their disagreement centred around the TDP's demand through an adjournment motion to have separate debates on irrigation projects and on corruption in the tender process. Objecting to the TDP stalling the proceedings, the Finance Minister, K. Rosaiah, said the Government was willing to reply to every allegation but the TDP was not prepared for a debate as the truth would come out. The differences between the Congress and the TDP were so sharp that they spilled over to the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting convened by the Speaker. The TDP Leader of the Opposition, N. Chandrababu Naidu, even threatened to walk out of the BAC complaining that the Opposition was not being allowed to get its view across.

Slogan-shouting

The brief sitting was marred by slogan-shouting as soon as the Speaker called the House to order after the national anthem was played at 10 am. TDP members, who waved placards lampooning the Government and a briefcase to symbolise corruption, repeatedly rushed to the podium. Congress members also waved placards.

The Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and Mr. Naidu, were sitting on either end of the first row.

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