A new precedent was set in the Assembly on Monday when the Telangana Ministers rushed into the well protesting against Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy’s notice to the Speaker to allow a resolution rejecting the AP Reorganisation Bill.
In a bid to counter the Chief Minister’s move, the Telangana Congress leaders came prepared to the Assembly to obstruct the proceedings by insisting on withdrawal of the notice given by Mr. Kiran Reddy under Rule 77.
The atmosphere was surcharged in the House as the Telangana members raised anti-Chief Minister slogans leading to pandemonium.
Slogan shouting The Congress Seemandhra legislators and Ministers countered by saying “CM Zindabad” even as other legislators supporting united AP, cutting across political lines trooped into the well and insisted for the resolution rejecting the Bill be taken up. Even as utter chaos prevailed in the House, Speaker N. Manohar who expressed his disapproval of the Ministers’ action in rushing to the well, adjourned the proceedings for the day after the House met for the third time.
Earlier soon after the Assembly met to take up the day’s business, Deputy Chief Minister C. Damodar Rajanarasimha was seen prompting the Telangana members, including Ministers, to rush to the podium, while he along with senior Minister K. Jana Reddy registered their protest by standing in their places.
The protesting Telangana Congress members were joined by TRS and Telangana TDP members.
Deputy CM slams Kiran An angry deputy Chief Minister told reporters later that Telangana Ministers had disowned the Chief Minister for his act of defiance. Criticising the unilateral action of the Chief Minister, he declared : “We do not recognise him as our Chief Minister or Leader of the House”. He demanded that Mr. Kiran Reddy resign “if he has self-respect.”
Similar scenes were repeated in the Legislative Council too when members from Telangana and Seemandhra regions went near the Chairman’s podium and raised slogans.
After two attempts to restore order, the Chairman A. Chakrapani ,adjourned the House for the day.
Ramachandraiah’s take Endowments Minister C. Ramachandraiah, the Leader of the House in the Council, asserted that notice given by him to the Chairman seeking permission to move a resolution to reject the draft Bill was well within the rules.
