The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Assembly adjourned sine die amid uproar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 18, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Assembly adjourned sine die amid uproar

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC. 17. The nine-day-long winter session of the Assembly was adjourned sine die by the Speaker, K. R. Suresh Reddy, amid uproarious scenes as Telugu Desam Party members stalled the proceedings and raised slogans on the irrigation tenders imbroglio today.

The Speaker announced the adjournment even as the slogan-shouting TDP members displayed posters and several of them rushed towards the podium. Ruling party members countered the Opposition tactics by holding aloft posters of their own.

The controversy on the irrigation tenders dominated the session with the debate being held for seven of the nine days. Seven bills were introduced and five were passed while there was only one short discussion on the price rise. As many as 43 adjournment motions tabled by members of the Opposition parties were disallowed by the Chair during the short session.

Earlier, the House was adjourned for tea break when the TDP sought to raise the tenders issue and disrupted the proceedings in spite of assurances by the Chair that an opportunity would be provided after zero hour.

When the House met after the break, the Speaker announced that notices under Rule 304 would be taken up. The TDP members, led by T. Devender Goud, were on their feet seeking to raise the tenders issue. When Mr. Suresh Reddy wanted to know whether it was related to any motion, notice or any matter before the House, Mr. Goud said that it was in connection with the debate on the tenders issue.

Closed issue

At this stage, the Speaker said the issue was closed. He told the TDP to give a separate notice. Soon, several TDP members were on their feet and raised slogans demanding that the files be placed before the Speaker. They displayed posters and placards on the tenders controversy even as the Chair repeatedly asked them to resume their seats. Many TDP members rushed towards the podium even as Congress members too displayed posters. As the uproar continued in spite of his appeals, the Speaker read out statistics relating to the session and adjourned the House sine die.

Naidu's charge

Talking to reporters, the Leader of the Opposition, N. Chandrababu Naidu, accused the Government of not showing respect to the Assembly and adopting a `stubborn attitude' by failing to reply to the issues raised by the Opposition. He alleged that a lot of irregularities had been committed in the procedures, and maintained that the Government did not place the files before the Speaker for fear that its `wrong-doings' would be exposed.

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