SCS protest echo heard in civic council

Emotive issue: YSRCP corporator Pala Jhansi Lakshmi lying unconscious while others protest outside the municipal council meeting hall in Vijayawada on Wednesday.

The divergent ways of the fight for the Special Category Status by the ruling Telugu Desam Party and the Opposition YSR Congress Party led to disruption in the municipal council meeting here on Wednesday.

While the TDP corporators sported black ribbons as a protest against the Centre for denying the SCS, the YSRCP corporators demanded the council pass a resolution urging the Centre and the State for the SCS in the question hour.

Heated argument

YSRCP corporator Sk. Beejanbi raised the issue of injustice meted out to the State and the failure of the State government. She demanded the issue be discussed in the council.

This did not go well with the ruling party members and TDP floor leader G. Hari Babu confronted the Opposition claiming that the State was already in the forefront in the fight for the SCS which led to a heated argument.

As the Opposition members also demanded the Telugu Desam Party corporators to resign and join them in protest against Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and launch hunger strike, Mayor Koneru Sreedhar suspended Chandana Suresh, Pala Jhansi Lakshmi, Sk. Beejanbi and Sk. Asif. Ms. Jhansi who refused to leave the council hall was forcibly taken out by marshals.

She later collapsed outside the hall and was rushed to hospital by the YSRCP members.

Stage walkout

All the YSRCP corporators staged a walkout and raised slogans against the Mayor.

YSRCP floor leader B. Punyaseela condemned the way Ms. Jhansi was forcibly taken out. B. Vijaya Kumar, 50th division corporator, said the so-called fight for the SCS by the TDP was a drama and its corporators were following the same in the council. The corporators later joined the meeting.