11 TDP members suspended in AP for disrupting House

The TDP has been taking aim at the YSRCP government over the death of 18 people in West Godavari, claiming they died due to consumption of spurious liquor

Eleven members of the principal Opposition, Telugu Desam Party, were suspended from the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly for a day on Tuesday for allegedly disrupting the House proceedings.

A visibly irritated Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy lashed out at the TDP legislators and asked them to behave in a "civilised manner" and let the House run its business. As the unrelenting Opposition members raised slogans demanding a discussion on the mysterious death of 18 people in West Godavari district, Legislative Affairs Minister Buggana Rajendranath moved a motion for the suspension of TDP MLAs.

The motion was carried by voice vote after which the suspended members left the House. On Monday, five TDP MLAs were suspended from the Assembly for the duration of the ongoing Budget Session (till March 25) over the same issue.

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The chief minister once again spoke on the issue in the House on Tuesday and stressed that the deaths in Jangareddygudem in West Godavari district were all due to "natural causes" and not due to illicit arrack, as being alleged by the TDP.

"Many of the bodies were cremated and there was not a case registered. In one case where there was some suspicion, the authorities exhumed the body and conducted post mortem (examination). Why would we do that if there was anything wrong?" the chief minister said. He categorically ruled out the illicit distillation of arrack "in Jangareddygudem, which is a municipality".

"There is a police station, Ward Secretariat and there are women police. Is it possible to illicitly distil arrack in such a place?" Jagan said. "Use your brains and think logically," he told the TDP members.

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