The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Surekha, Erraballi engage in verbal duel over land

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Tuesday, Dec 19, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Surekha, Erraballi engage in verbal duel over land

Special Correspondent

Telugu Desam Party members storm Speaker's podium

Erraballi Dayakar Rao

HYDERABAD: A spat between rival MLAs from Warangal over their alleged illegal land holdings rocked the House for a brief while during zero hour on Monday.

Telugu Desam Party members stormed the podium of Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy after Konda Surekha of the Congress targeted their party colleague Erraballi Dayakar Rao saying that his wife was one of the partners of a real estate firm that acquired 40 acres of assigned land from the poor near Warangal.

Ms. Surekha said the firm with 2,094 members had acquired the land at Rs. 1 lakh an acre but vendors were not paid the amount. Against the present market value of Rs. 25 lakhs an acre, the land was being sold at Rs. 48 lakhs an acre. However, it was not being registered in favour of the members, she said.

She demanded a House Committee inquiry into the affairs of the firm as its operations were bogus.

Mr. Dayakar Rao and other TDP members walked up to the Speaker's podium insisting that Ms. Surekha's demand for a probe be conceded.

He offered to quit as MLA if the charges were proved against him or else Ms. Surekha should quit the House. He alleged that Ms. Surekha and her husband Konda Murali had grabbed 200 acres of land near Fort Warangal.

The row ended abruptly after Finance Minister K. Rosaiah intervened. He said the controversy could not be dragged further as Mr. Rao had not served a prior notice to make allegations at another member whereas Ms. Surekha had done so.

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