YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MLCs and MLAs, led by their party president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, staged a protest against what they called about 36 ‘political murders’ that allegedly took place in the last one-and-a-half months, during Governor S. Abdul Nazeer’s address to the joint session of the Andhra Pradesh Legislature, 0on Monday.
Holding placards, members of the YSRCP raised ‘Save Democracy’ slogans in the Assembly Hall as Mr. Nazeer delivered his address, flanked by Legislative Council Chairman K. Moshenu Raju and Assembly Speaker Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu.
Some YSRCP MLCs and MLAs climbed on to the steps of the Speaker’s podium in protest against the alleged breakdown of law and order, and a short while later, all of them staged a walkout.
Before the sessions began, Mr. Jagan and his party MLCs and MLAs reached the Legislature Complex in a rally, wearing black scarfs and displaying placards, in protest against the alleged murders, and demanded imposition of President’s Rule in Andhra Pradesh for restoring peace.
Police personnel who were deployed in large numbers stopped the YSRCP MLCs and MLAs, including Mr. Jagan, saying that they had no permission to organise a protest.
As an altercation broke out with the police, Mr. Jagan fumed at them, insisting that the police have no right to tear off the banners and placards carried by the protesting leaders and that “merely saluting those in power was not democracy”.
Published - July 22, 2024 09:16 pm IST
