Floor Leader of the Telugu Desam in Assembly, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Deputy Leader A. Revanth Reddy and five MLAs were arrested as they staged a demonstration at the Martyrs Memorial opposite the Assembly complex on Tuesday morning, demanding inclusion of women and those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Tribes in the Telangana Cabinet.
They gathered at the Martyrs Memorial with black ribbons tied across their mouths to symbolise ‘gags’, protesting against the authoritarian, impatient attitude of the government. After some slogan-shouting, police personnel who were present in strength used a rope party to cordon them off and said they were being arrested.
When they faced resistance from the people’s representatives, Mr. Dayakar Rao and Mr. Revanth Reddy were physically lifted into a waiting police van, as other MLAs – Arikapudi Gandhi, Madhavaram Krishna, Manchireddy Kishan Reddy, S. Rajender Reddy and Maganti Gopinath, walked behind. They were later left on personal surety.
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For the second day in succession, the suspended Telugu Desam MLAs went hammer and tongs at the callous attitude of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao towards what they termed just demands. Mr. Dayakar Rao and Mr Revanth Reddy were caustic in their criticism of Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao, saying nothing except his own agenda and that of his family members had any place in his scheme of things.
All the Telugu Desam members in the Assembly with the exception of R. Krishnaiah are currently under suspension from the House for the entire duration of the budget session.
Following their consistent refusal to tender an apology for allegedly insulting the national anthem on Saturday, soon after the Governor's address, the Speaker S. Madhusudhana Chary had ordered their suspension on Monday.
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