JOIN USThe Telangana Assembly’s Budget Session began on a stormy note on Saturday as Governor ESL Narasimhan addressed the joint session.
Trouble began immediately as the session started with the national anthem. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLAs tried to raise slogans deriding the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government for encouraging defection. They ran into the Well and tore the copies of the Governor’s speech, hurling them towards the Chair.
Telangana Congress MLAs Sampath Kumar, the TDP's T Rammohan Reddy and others, including A Revanth Reddy and Errabelli Dayakar Rao, tried to rush into the Well but were prevented by TRS legislators, who formed a security chain around the podium.
The TDP members also demanded the sacking of Commercial Taxes Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, who had defected to the TRS from the TDP.
The governor continued his speech amidst the pandemonium, and concluded it in less than 15 minutes. However, Kukatpalli TDP MLA Madhava Rao and Rammohan Reddy both fell on the floor. TRS MLAs pushed TDP MLA Revanth Reddy aside.
The House was adjourned to Monday even as the legislators jostled with each other.Later, TDP leaders Errabelli Dayakar Rao and Revanth Reddy told mediapersons they condemned the attack by TRS MLAs.
“The chief minister did nothing to stop his MLAs. He kept smiling at them, as if encouraging them,” they said, describing it as a black day in the Telangana Assembly's history.
Telangana BJP chief Kishan Reddy also condemned the attack by TRS legislators, and said the behaviour of TDP MLAs was condemnable was well.