The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Mention of Monica Lewinsky's name has House in splits

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Mention of Monica Lewinsky's name has House in splits

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Janata Party member Komireddy Ramulu, known for his penchant for wearing colourful blazers and raising issues mostly concerning his Metpalli constituency, sprang a surprise in the Assembly on Tuesday by repeatedly bringing in the name of Monica Lewinsky.

Far fetched it may appear, but Mr. Ramulu had the House in splits, the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition included, by building up an argument that there was indeed a parallel between the impeachment proceedings against former US President Bill Clinton and the debate over cost escalation of the Sripadasagar project.

Stormy note

Unfazed by interruptions by Telugu Desam members, he said during the impeachment proceedings, Monica Lewinsky had the courage to say that she indeed had an affair with Mr. Clinton.

In a similar manner, Mr. T. Devender Goud (TDP) should concede that the documents relating to Sripadasagar, he had presented to the House, were forged as made clear by the officials of Irrigation Department and declare the issue closed.

The comparison did not go down well with Mr. Goud. In his retort, he wanted Mr. Ramulu to consult the Superintending Engineer, whom the Government had described as "eccentric," to know if the documents were fake. Mr. Ramulu did not respond but Cooperation Minister Kanna Laxminarayana took exception to Mr. Goud's remarks.

The debate continued on a stormy note when Samajwadi Party member D. K. Aruna accused the TDP members of creating hurdles in the way of irrigation projects, as they were scared of their political future. Angry exchanges followed between Telugu Desam and Congress members, notably M. Ranga Reddy. L. Raja Rao (BSP) wondered if the people returned the Congress to power to repeat the mistakes of the Telugu Desam. J. Krishna Rao (Ind) too participated.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail