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TDP, YSRCP members come to blows in House
Speaker Tammineni Sitaram, who later suspended 11 TDP members for the day, ruled that hereafter any member who would storm the Speaker’s podium and “behave in an unruly manner” would be automatically suspended from the House.
Members of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the ruling YSR Congress party came to virtual blows, pushing and jostling after the opposition-held protests in the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly on Monday,
Speaker Tammineni Sitaram, who later suspended 11 TDP members for the day, ruled that hereafter any member who would storm the Speaker’s podium and “behave in an unruly manner” would be automatically suspended from the House.
The Speaker said he was hurt by the behaviour of the TDP members, who surrounded his podium from all sides, tore the papers and abused him in foul language.
“They brought placards into the House and placed them on my face, thereby disrespecting the chair,” he said.
The ruckus began soon after the House assembled for the day when the TDP members protested over the state government’s recent order banning public rallies and roadshows on the highways, state roads and public places.
They displayed placards and surrounded the Speaker’s podium, demanding that the state government withdraw the order.
Alleging that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government was trying to muzzle the voice of opposition, they tore papers lying on the podium and threw the pieces on the Speaker.
According to the Speaker, TDP lawmaker Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy allegedly invaded the podium and pushed the placard on his face while using abusive language against him.
As the TDP members continued to corner the Speaker, raising slogans, a few YSRCP members also rushed there and started clashing with the TDP members.
Swamy alleged that ruling party MLAs T J Sudhakar Babu and V R Eliza attacked him and beat him up before pushing him down the podium, as a result of which he fell on its steps.
Babu claimed that Swamy tried to manhandle the Speaker, and Eliza rushed to the podium to protect him.
He said when TDP MLAs were attacking Eliza, he went to the latter’s rescue.
“The TDP MLAs themselves attacked me, and I suffered a bleeding injury on my elbow,” the YSRCP MLA claimed.
The MLAs continued pushing and pulling each other. Finally, marshals stood as a barrier between them. The TDP members later squatted on the floor to protest against the attack by the ruling party MLAs.
Senior TDP MLA Gorantla Buchaiah also alleged that he was pushed down by the YSRCP members, while the latter alleged that the TDP MLA pushed ruling party MLA Vellampalli down.
The proceedings were stalled for a brief period, and the TDP leaders were suspended for a day from the Assembly proceedings.
Both the TDP and YSRCP described it as a black day in the history of the state assembly and accused each other of being responsible for the pandemonium.
Deputy chief minister Narayana Swamy urged the Speaker to register criminal cases against the TDP members and impose severe punishment on them.
Leader of opposition and TDP president Nara Chandrababu Naidu said never in the history of Andhra had an MLA been attacked inside the House. He alleged that the attack on Swamy, a Dalit MLA, was pre-planned and carried out with encouragement from chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
“With the physical attack on the MLA right on the floor of the Assembly, the people clearly understood the policies of the YSRCP,” he said.
