AP Assembly: 22 MLAs suspended for disrupting proceedings

Twenty two legislators belonging to TRS and BJP along with two independent MLAs associated with them were today suspended from the Andhra Pradesh Assembly for two days for constantly disrupting proceedings of the House on Telangana statehood issue.

Of the total suspended members, 17 belonged to Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), three to BJP and one Independent each associated with these parties.

These members stayed put in the well of the House as soon as the proceedings began this morning and demanded that the House adopt a resolution seeking statehood for Telangana region.

The House was adjourned within minutes as the din continued and Speaker Nadendla Manohar called a meeting of floor leaders to break the deadlock.

At the end of a three-hour long meeting, the House resumed but the TRS and BJP members continued to disrupt the proceedings.

Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy appealed to the protesting members to let the House function as there was important business to be transacted in the next five days.

"There are 12 important Bills that have to be passed and we also need to discuss the reports submitted by the Departmentally-Related Standing Committees on the budget proposals. At the end of it we have to pass the Appropriation Bill. Hence I request the opposition MLAs to let the House run smoothly," the Finance Minister appealed.

His appeal, however, fell on deaf ears as the TRS and the BJP MLAs raised slogans pressing with their demand. The Speaker then asked the Finance Minister to move a motion for suspension of the agitating members.

The motion was carried through voice vote and the 22 MLAs were suspended from the House for two days.

Marshals were called in to bodily lift the suspended members from the House as they refused to move out. The CPI MLAs staged a walk out protesting the police crackdown on Telangana activists during the Chalo Assembly programme on Friday last. The CPM too registered its protest on the issue.