Andhra assembly rocked again over Telangana bill

Hyderabad – The issue of Andhra Pradesh’s bifurcation rocked the state assembly Tuesday as the legislators from Telangana insisted on immediate debate on the bill for formation of Telangana state while their counterparts from the Seemandhra region opposed it.

Amid the ruckus, Speaker Nadendla Manohar adjourned the house and called a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) to decide the time and modalities for the debate on Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2013, which was tabled Monday.

Even before the speaker entered the house, the legislators from the Telangana and the Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra) region, irrespective of their party affiliations, surrounded his chair and raised slogans.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) ar! gued that the debate on the bill began Monday with Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu backing the bill. It wanted the speaker to continue with the debate.

On the other hand, Seemandhra legislators maintained that the bill be taken up for debate after a decision in the BAC meeting.

YSR Congress party moved an adjournment motion, demanding the house to pass a resolution to urge the centre to keep the state united. The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) wanted a debate on the attitude of the central and state governments in dividing the state.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and Leader of Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu, who were not present in the house during the tabling of the bill Monday, were present in the house Tuesday.

The speaker had tabled the bill in the assembly along with a letter from President Pranab Mukherjee, who has asked the assembly to return the bill with its views by Jan 23.

The house witnessed unprec! edented ruckus during the tabling of the bill. The lawmakers from the t! wo regions even clashed outside when Seemandhra legislators tore and set afire the copies of the bill.

TDP and YSR Congress legislators from Seemandhra, who were continuing the protest in the assembly even after adjournment, were evicted by the security personnel late Monday night.