YSR Congress members force adjournment of Andhra Pradesh Assembly

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Assembly was adjourned today with slogan-shouting YSR Congress members disrupting proceedings alleging that their leader was not allowed to complete his speech on an important issue.

The Opposition party MLAs rose in protest as Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao disconnected the mike when their leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy was on his feet to counter the remarks made by ruling TDP members K Ravi Kumar and Sravan Kumar during the motion of thanks on the Governor's address.

Ravi Kumar had said Reddy was afraid of criticising the Union Government despite meting out a "raw deal" to the state in fund allocation for the Polavalram irrigation project. Countering the charge, Reddy said it was his party which first reacted to the issue.

As the Speaker disconnected the mike before Reddy completed his response, his colleagues rushed to the well of the House and started shouting slogans.

Some of the YSR Congress members also rushed to the podium, demanding sufficient time for their leader to put across his views.

Earlier, Sravan Kumar demanded that the Opposition leader make his stand clear on the proposal to develop the new state capital at Tullur in Guntur district.

He said the TDP-led government had been successful in convincing the farmers to part with their land and acquired 33,000 acres under "land pooling system" for the new city.

Reddy, while objecting to the capital issue, said he had suggested that the Government, instead of "taking fertile land" from the farmers, should have gone for deforested or unused land for building the capital.

At the outset of the day's sitting, the Speaker had to adjourn the House for a brief while as YSR Congress members pressed for a discussion on their adjournment motion on farmer suicides and other related issues.