Andhra Pradesh Assembly's winter session begins, condemns Peshawar carnage

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly today strongly condemned the ghastly massacre of innocent students at Army Public School in Pakistan's Peshawar town by Taliban militants.

The House, on the first day of its winter session, paid homage to the victims and extended sympathies to the bereaved families. The members observed two-minute silence as a mark of respect after a resolution moved by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was adopted.

"It's a barbaric act of terrorists. They brutally massacred innocent students. The entire world should strongly condemn the inhuman act," the Chief Minister said.

The world leaders and people should act to ensure such gory incidents do not recur, he said. Chandrababu expressed grief over the Peshawar incident and extended sympathies to the bereaved families.

Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy also condemned the attack and the slaying of innocent children. Senior TDP MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary said terrorism has become a major threat to the world. Everyone should unitedly fight the menace, he said. BJP legislator Vishnu Kumar Raju, YSR Congress member G Srikanth Reddy also spoke.

Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao then read out the resolution, which was unanimously adopted by the House. Earlier, the House paid tributes to sitting MLA from Tirupati M Venkata Ramana, who died of heart attack on December 15.

The Chief Minister and other legislators recalled Ramana's life and services and said his death was a loss to people of temple-town of Tirupati.

The House was adjourned for the day after the two resolutions.