Day One of the first Budget session of the Telangana Legislative Assembly began with Opposition parties showcasing the tough stance they would adopt in the sessions to come.
Half an hour before Finance Minister Eatala Rajender was to present the first full-fledged Budget of the fledgling State, MLAs of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Telugu Desam Party walked in to the Assembly shouting slogans against the government’s apathy towards continuing farmer suicides, denouncing what they called its callous attitude and lack of preparedness in ensuring adequate power supply.
The BJP contingent was led by its Floor Leader K. Laxman, while the TDP group had Floor Leader E. Dayakar Rao and Deputy Floor Leader Venkata Veeraiah. While BJP members held lanterns in their hands, the TDP legislators latter joined with them in the sloganeering.
Earlier, when police denied permission to the BJP contingent to walk in to the Assembly complex with the lanterns, they sat in protest and were soon joined by TDP legislators. A while later both groups were permitted entry, they walked in shouting slogans all the way, till they reached their respective Legislature Party offices and then the main entrance into the Telangana Assembly lobbies.
All Congress members wore black scarves to register their protest against the government that it claimed had plumb forgotten its pre-poll promises and were pursuing what they termed ‘anti-people policies’. The Congress contingent too walked in unison from the Congress Legislature Party office to the entrance to the Assembly.
On the other hand, members of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi exuded jubilance, wearing the party’s trademark pink scarves and flashing victory signs. They were clearly excited at before the presentation the first Budget after being elected to power.
As is usual during Assembly sessions, a heavy police bandobust comprising about 1,000 personnel was in place with the Hyderabad Police even stationing a new mobile baggage scanner outside the main entrance to the lobbies of the Assembly, which was used to scan even the hand baggage of Ministers, members and their personal staff.
