TDP legislators get one-week suspension after protesting

Ten Telugu Desam Party MLAs were suspended for a week in the current budget session of Telangana state. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislators, suspended for the second time in the ongoing session, were taken to Goshamahal police station for disrupting traffic by sitting on a dharna in front of the state Assembly building.

However, the events that led to the suspension of the TDP legislators left the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti  fuming as TDP legislators, particularly Revanth Reddy, has alleged that Nizamabad MP (Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter Kavitha) had registered her name twice in the Intensive Household Survey of Telangana and demanded action against her during a discussion on action on double entries. But the TDP legislator did not mention that he was quoting the issue that appeared in newspapers.

The TRS said it was an attack on the modesty of an MP by an Andhra Pradesh government nominee, Revanth Reddy, and demanded an apology from him. The MLA refused to budge and said he could provide TV footage of Kavitha registering twice in the survey to the house. The ruling party MLAs, however, demanded an apology from Revanth Reddy and the agitated TDP members stalled the proceedings. With the TDP legislators jumping into the well and rising slogans demanding the Speaker to allow them to speak,  Irrigation Minister Harish Rao proposed the suspension through a motion. Speaker Madhusudhana Chary declared the motion passed.

M Gandhi, Prakash Goud, Gopinath, Manchireddy Kishan Reddy, Saianna, Rajender Reddy, Errabelly Dayakar Rao, Vivekanand Goud, Sandra Venkat Veeraiah and Revanth Reddy were the MLAs suspended. They refused to leave the House and were escorted out with help of Marshals. They then staged a protest at the entrance of the Assembly, forcing police to take them to Goshamahal police station. Later, they were released.