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Friday, Aug 18, 2006

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Assembly adjourns sans any business

Special Correspondent

Furore over flood situation; CPI(M) members stall the proceedings

SMILES BEFORE HOUSE STORM?: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Leader of the Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu sharing a light moment with Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy and Minister M. Satyanarayana Rao during a breakfast hosted by the Speaker befor e the start of the monsoon session on Thursday. - PHOTO: SATISH H.

HYDERABAD: The monsoon session of the Assembly began on a note of confrontation on Thursday when a wrangle over a spate of notices by the Opposition on the recent floods forced adjournment of the House for the day without transacting any business.

Proceedings began on expected lines as the TDP, the TRS, the Left parties, the MIM and the BJP tabled six notices for adjournment of regular business to discuss loss of life and property in the floods and the Government's negligence of relief operations.

Speaker K. R. Suresh Reddy disallowed these motions saying that question hour should be taken up first and the remaining agenda finalised at the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting. Not satisfied with the suggestion, CPI (M) members led by S. Rajaiah stalled the proceedings by rushing into the well and raising slogans.

Agreeing that flood was an issue of paramount importance, the Speaker said the Government needed time to prepare and circulate a note that would form the basis for the debate.

He offered to conduct the BAC meeting during question hour itself to finalise the day's schedule.

Ready for debate

Revenue Minister D. Prasada Rao expressed the Government's willingness for a full-fledged debate on the floods but said it needed a little time to prepare the note.

As the opposition parties refused to relent, the Speaker adjourned the House for ten minutes. The impasse could not be broken when the House re-assembled, forcing Mr. Reddy to adjourn the House for the day amid more protests and slogan-shouting.

At the BAC meeting held later in the Speaker's chamber, opposition parties were reportedly a divided lot. The TDP and the CPI (M) stuck to their demand for taking up the debate on floods on Friday morning setting aside the other listed business. This view was not entirely shared by the CPI, BJP and the MIM which wanted question hour to be taken up.

It was agreed at the BAC that the House would sit beyond the scheduled adjournment of 1.30 p.m. and also meet on August 31 to make up for the loss of time on Thursday.

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