Andhra Pradesh Assembly to decide Roja's fate on Monday

Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao on Friday made it clear that the very house that has decided to suspend Nagari Legislator RK Roja for one year has the right to decide her fate, even as the MLA is backed by a High Court interim order allowing her to attend the remaining part of the ongoing Budget session. Assembly will take up the issue for discussion on Monday.

On Thursday, a high court single bench quashed the decision of the AP Assembly and passed an interim order directing the Assembly not to deprive the lawmaker from discharging her duties.

However marshals prevented Roja from entering into the AP Assembly on Friday morning stating that the Speaker gave no such orders to allow the suspended MLA from entering the house. They also refused to allow her lawyer to enter the premises.

“The Assembly opines that the decision to allow or not allow the YSRC MLA will have to be taken by the House. This is in no way dishonouring the HC interim orders. All the MLAs have been supplied with copies of the orders, to study and give our opinion on Monday,” Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Legislative Affairs Minister said in the House.

The YSRC MLAs, who staged a sit-in on the premises of the Assembly later, continued their protests at the Gandhi statue outside the building. Later, the MLAs, led by YS Jagan, went to Rajbhavan and submitted a memorandum to Raj Bhavan Secretary.