HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy on Wednesday urged Speaker K. R. Suresh Reddy to act tough in the Assembly and exercise his powers in disciplining any member or a group of members if they breached the agenda agreed upon by the Business Advisory Committee (BAC).

The Chief Minister was defending the reply given the Revenue Minister to a question tabled by Ch. Venkata Rao (TDP) on ceiling land in Visakhapatnam district which led to noisy scenes and finally a walkout by Telugu Desam members.

"A person who had served as the Chief Minister for nine years is insisting on withdrawing of cases against an MLA. What cases are they? Does it pertain to an attempt to suicide by jumping into Hussainsagar owing to incurring of losses in cinemas?" remarked Dr. Reddy in an oblique reference to Mr. Venkata Rao.

DSC irregularities

He refuted the remarks purportedly made by T. Devender Gowd (TDP) that he had sold teacher posts through the Kadapa District Selection Committee (DSC). When the Chief Minister tried to quote a news items from a newspaper, the TDP members repeatedly interrupted him.

At least thrice, Minister for Legislative Affairs K. Rosaiah tried to move a motion proposing their suspension, but opposition members retreated sensing trouble. Amidst the din, Dr. Reddy recalled the circumstances leading to his losing cool in the House. At one point in time, Dr. Reddy said: "Many say that my brother Vivekananda Reddy, who is soft-natured, should have been actually christened as Vivekananda Swami."

He said Leader of the Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu had relied on a news item published in a newspaper whose owner claimed in an affidavit in the High Court that he was a sworn enemy of the Congress, said Dr. Reddy. "I don't need to stoop to the level of selling teacher posts. I have been an income tax assessee since my high school days," he pointed out.

Responding to this, Mr. Goud said that the Opposition's role was to criticise the Government.

"We don't blow your trumpet. And I have never said that the Chief Minister sold the posts," he pointed out.

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