The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Protests against abrupt adjournment

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Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Protests against abrupt adjournment

Special Correspondent

Left, BJP members find it strange that Speaker did not close the debate

Photo: Satish.H.

Opposition ire: TDP legislators staging a protest inside the chambers of the Speaker in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam members staged a ‘dharna’ in the Assembly in Speaker K. R. Suresh Reddy’s chambers for some time on Tuesday protesting against abrupt adjournment of the House for the day “despite the Opposition’s cooperation in fulfilling constitutional obligations”.

The CPI(M), CPI and BJP members too protested saying it was strange that the Speaker did not close the debate on Governor’s address on Tuesday, as required by the Constitution and the Assembly rules which he kept reminding Opposition members on Monday while asking them to be brief. This was despite the fact that Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy gave a marathon five- hour long reply to the debate today and sought more time on Wednesday.

“We are not sure who is running the House, the Chief Minister or the Speaker”, E. Dayakar Rao and P. Keshav, Telugu Desam Legislature Party secretary and whip respectively wondered.

CPI floor leader, Chada Venkat Reddy, describing the adjournment as “undemocratic” said “there was nothing in the Chief Minister’s reply barring self- praise. Rules cannot be different for the Government and the Opposition”. He demanded summoning of the Business Advisory Committee meeting tomorrow.

CPI (M) leader, Nomula Narsimhaiah said the Speaker created a scare among the Opposition saying employees would not get salaries if the debate on budget does not begin on Tuesday. Yet he allowed the Chief Minister to speak for hours. BJP leader G. Kishen Reddy said he wanted to speak on Tuesday as he was not well on Monday but the Speaker did not allow.

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