Telangana Assembly suspends 10 TDP legislators

Telangana Assembly Speaker Madusudhana Chary took the extraordinary step of suspending ten TDP legislators till the end of the Budget session, as they continued to disrupt the House.

All but two of the Telugu Desam legislators kept protesting repeatedly and were found raising their voices when the session began on the first day with the National Anthem.

TDP legislators rushed to the well immediately after the House began its transactions on Tuesday, demanding proper representation of SC, ST and women candidates in the Telangana cabinet.

Calling this an unwarranted provocation, Assembly Affairs Minister T Harish Rao read the list of legislators who repeatedly caused disruption and the Speaker suspended them.
 
Marshals removed the suspended MLAs, including floor leader Errabally Dayakar Rao, Gandhi, Gopinath, Veeraya, Prakash Goud, Revanth Reddy, Sayanna, Rajender Reddy, Madhavaram Kishan Rao and Vivekananda, while two TDP MLAs Krishnaiah and Manchireddy Kishan Reddy remained in the house.

The MLAs continued their protest outside the house, sitting at the entrance of the Assembly and raised slogans against the TRS government.

“We offered our unconditional apology for protesting while the National anthem was played. There was no announcement (regarding our suspension) so we were not prepared. (But) Why did the government not take any action against TRS MLAs who manhandled TDP MLAs on the floor of the House during the Governor’s address of the joint session,” Errabelly asked.

The way Telangana Congress floor leader Jana Reddy bowed to the pressure and asked his MLA to tender an apology over disruption of National Anthem won criticism from the party, including from the new TPCC leader Uttam Kumar Reddy.

Congress MLA Sampath Kumar apologised for disruptions during National Anthem, but said it was not audible. However, he later followed the floor leader’s order and apologised. BJP floor leader Dr Laxman called the suspension harsh and asked the Speaker to reverse the decision and restore the TDP members.