Unruly scenes in AP House on 'manhandling' of whip, senior MLA

HYDERABAD: Tempers ran high in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly today during the debate on the draft AP Reorganisation Bill as TRS legislator K Vidyasagar Rao rushed menacingly towards Government Whip Dronamraju Srinivas and allegedly tried to manhandle him.

The TRS legislator also allegedly manhandled one of the senior-most MLAs Gade Venkata Reddy (Congress), triggering angry protests by Seemaandhra members cutting across party lines.

Both Congress and TDP members from Seemaandhra demanded an apology from the TRS member and wanted the Speaker to come to their rescue.

Regretting the unruly behaviour of his party colleague, TRS floor leader Etela Rajender said what Vidyasagar Rao did was wrong.

"He should not have behaved like that," Rajender said. It all began when Rajender himself was participating in the debate on the draft Bill.

Taking exception to certain remarks made by Rajender, while arguing the cause of a separate state, Whip Dronamraju, hailing from Seemaandhra, wondered what their fate would be if the state was divided when Telangana members were behaving like this even before the state was formed.

At that point, Vidyasagar rushed towards Dronamraju and tried to manhandle him.

Senior legislator Gade tried to prevent an ugly scene but Vidyasagar pushed him aside. This led to slogans and counter-slogans between Telangana and Seemaandhra members.

Gade expressed anguish that Vidyasagar held him by his shirt and wondered if it was the decorum of Telangana members.

Gade demanded an apology from the TRS over this. "We know how to defend ourselves if TRS resorts to such acts," he said.

TDP senior legislators Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy and Dhulipalla Narendra Kumar strongly condemned the TRS member's action and demanded an apology.

"It's not proper to attack any member of the House. The Speaker should come to our rescue. The entire House should condemn the TRS MLA's act," Dhulipalla demanded.

It was an attack not only Gade alone but on entire Seemaandhra people, Bojjala remarked.