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After days of ruckus, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly has finally witnessed full-fledged discussion on the draft AP ReOrganisation Bill. Seemandhra Congress leader and Tourism Minister Vatti Vasantha Kumar, who had initiated the discussion on Wednesday, resumed his speech, even as 15 legislators of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) were suspended from the House for a day.
But only two members, the other being Palle Raghunadha Reddy of Telugu Desam, could complete their views on the bill, while the third Gandra Venkataramana Reddy (Congress) could not complete his views as acrimonious scenes led to adjournment of the House for the day.
Legislative Affairs Minister Sailajanath moved the motion to suspend legislators after they interrupted the House for about 30 minutes when it began proceedings this morning.
They demanded voting on a resolution supporting a united State. The SpeakerNadendla Manoharsuspended them from the House.
The police later arrested the legislators at Ravindra Bharati junction, abutting the Assembly building, when they resorted to protest against their suspension. Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu and TDP member D. Narendra felt that the YSRCP MLAs were not allowed to voice their views at the media point.
Residual State Vasantha Kumar, who spoke for about two hours, argued that the residual State (Seemandhra) would become an agrarian State as majority of the industries would go to the newly carved out Telangana State.
“After Bangalore, Hyderabad is the only city in the country where so much economic might is concentrated,” he said, listing out the public and private sector investments in the State capital.
He also reminded the then Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s statement in December 2009 that an “appropriate resolution would be moved” to create the new State.
“There is absolutely no basis for the bifurcation. It is undemocratic to divide the State without seeking a resolution from the Assembly,” he felt.
Raghunadha Reddy’s references to the UPA chairperson and her son Rahul Gandhi triggered protests from the Telangana Congress leaders. The TDP, however, defended the references, saying that the Congress leaders had claimed that it was Sonia who gave them a new State.
Deputy Speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka adjourned the House for 30 minutes. The House, however, continued to witness noisy scenes as the Congress, TDP and TRS leaders exchanged heated arguments.
Time runs out The House will sit for one more day on Friday before taking Sankranti vacation. It would re-assemble on January 17. Barring a Sunday (January 19), the House will have six days in the last leg of the session to complete the mandatory discussion.
The House is likely to make an appeal to President Pranab Mukherjee to extend the deadline by a week or so.
>kurmanath.kanchi@thehindu.co.in
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