The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : A rare `distinction'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

A rare `distinction'

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, MARCH 29. The current budget session of the Assembly earned a rare "distinction" on Tuesday when the Speaker, K.R. Suresh Reddy, applied the guillotine to the budget demands of 36 departments ahead of the passage of the Appropriation Bills on Wednesday.

Only the demands related to agriculture and allied activities of animal husbandry, co-operation and fisheries alone have been passed during the session after debate. The discussion on 36 other departments was either not taken up or was left incomplete.

Assembly sources said that guillotining of demands of departments in such a large number took place in 1992, '94, '98 and 2001. The demands of departments in a single group were passed on these occasions also.

The Finance and Legislative Affairs Minister, K. Rosaiah, told the House earlier that 163.10 hours of business was transacted in 28 days until Monday.

The TDP `wasted' 10.28 hours by plunging the House into disorder. He expected the wastage of time by TDP to go up to 12.5 hours by the end of business hours on Tuesday.

The TDP member, Y. Ramakrishnudu, said the Assembly transacted business for an average of 200 hours in each of the budget sessions during the earlier regime.

The sitting was much less in Congress rule, contributing largely to many of the subjects going undiscussed.

The Speaker put the demands for guillotining amid slogan-shouting and marching into the well by TDP members.

They displayed posters and placards lampooning the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

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