The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Tenders issue takes centre stage again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 09, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Tenders issue takes centre stage again

By Our special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC.8. Amid protests from the Congress and the Left parties, the question time proceedings in the Assembly were stalled for more than hour by Telugu Desam members demanding that the House straightaway debate the tenders controversy.

As soon as the session began, the Speaker, K. R. Suresh Reddy, announced that he had disallowed the adjournment motions tabled by CPI(M), CPI, BJP and Janata Party members on different issues. He told them to raise the issues in another form.

Even as the Speaker asked the first question to be taken up, there was din with several TDP members rising in their seats and seeking to attract the Chair's attention. The Speaker told them that the short debate would be taken up after question hour and chided them for trying to violate the rules.

TDP under fire

The TDP's insistence that the discussion be started straightaway by setting aside question hour drew flak from CPI(M), CPI, Janata Party and Samajwadi Party members. The Leader of the Opposition, N. Chandrababu Naidu, said issues relating to tenders and irrigation projects were different and should be taken up separately. He said it pertained to the "misuse of public money."

Taking exception to certain remarks made by Mr. Naidu, the CPI(M) floor leader, N. Narasimiah, said if the Congress indulged in corruption it could be exposed during the discussion. The CPI floor leader, Ch. Venkata Reddy, said the party too was ready for a debate on the tenders issue but pointed out that there would not be tenders without irrigation projects.

Rosaiah intervenes

The stalemate ended after the Legislative Affairs Minister, K. Rosaiah, intervened and said the Government was willing to change the nomenclature of the short discussion on "completion of irrigation projects in the State" to "tenders and completion of irrigation projects." The Speaker then ruled that two issues would be clubbed for discussion after question hour.

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