The Hindu : Karnataka News : Budget session ends on a sour note

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 01, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

Budget session ends on a sour note

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, MARCH 31. The budget session of the State Assembly ended on a sour note today just as it had begun 46 days ago.

The acrimony between the TDP and the Congress members spilled out of the House at the prize distribution ceremony for sports and cultural programmes for legislators. The Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister, J. Geeta Reddy, who was compering the programme, completely ignored the Leader of the Opposition, N. Chandrababu Naidu, while reading out the names of floor leaders.

The TDP members, led by their whip, P. Keshav, who waited for sometime with agony as their leader's name was omitted, walked out of the Committee Hall, after the last name was read.

Watching them leave, Ms. Reddy expressed regrets saying that she left out Mr. Naidu's name by oversight, and appealed to them to resume their seats. The Congress MLAs made a vain bid to persuade them. When they refused to heed, Ms. Reddy called the TDP legislator, Lalitha Kumari, to accept the memento on behalf of Mr. Naidu. Ms. Kumari and two other women MLAs — P. Sujatha and A. Sridevi — also collected their individual prizes.

The memento and other prizes taken by them were sent back to the Legislature Secretary later. Mr. Keshav told The Hindu that the episode was more hurting than the injustice meted out to them in the House in 46 days. Earlier, the Speaker, K.R. Suresh Reddy, adjourned the Assembly sine die after it had sat for 31 days. The House transacted business for 184 hours and 15 minutes during which 176 speeches were made by members and 215 starred questions were answered. Fourteen Bills were passed.

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