TDP MLAs suspended for obstructing house

Nine TDP MLAs were suspended from the Andhra Pradesh Assembly session on Wednesday as they raised slogans while Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was giving a speech, speaking on the Polavaram project. The YSRC MLAs alleged that the TDP members manhandled the Marshals while being evicted after their suspension from the House on Tuesday.

Amaravati: For the third day in a row, opposition TDP MLAs were suspended from the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Wednesday as they stormed into the Well of the House when Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was speaking on the Polavaram multipurpose project.

"Call the Marshals in and send them (Telegu Desam Party members) out of the House," the Chief Minister requested Speaker Tammineni Seetaram, as the opposition legislators rebutted the government's claims on the project.

"They do not want the governments voice carried to the people, so they are deliberately trying to disrupt the House proceedings. Call the Marshals and send them out," he said, following which Legislative Affairs Minister Buggana Rajendranath moved a motion for suspension of nine TDP MLAs for the day.

Immediately, the Marshals stepped in and whisked the opposition members out of the House.

In the lobbies, the TDP members confronted Chief Marshal Theo and demanded to know why the Marshals were being "so rude" towards the legislators.

"It never happened in the past. Marshals used to gently try to evict the suspended members from the House and the latter too used to walk away after raising a protest for a couple of minutes," senior legislator Payyavula Keshav pointed out.

MLA Gottipati Ravikumar showed a bruise on his hand, which, he alleged, was due to the rough handling by the Marshals.

"You people seemed to have learnt martial arts, the Chief Marshal tried to counter, suggesting that the TDP members themselves manhandled the Marshals.

Incidentally, the Assembly Speaker on Wednesday referred a complaint filed by the ruling YSR Congress members against their TDP colleagues, to the Assembly Ethics Committee.

The YSRC MLAs alleged that the TDP members manhandled the Marshals while being evicted after their suspension from the House on Tuesday.

The Speaker said the attack on the Marshals was not right.

The TDP, on the other hand, also decided to lodge a complaint with the Speaker against the Marshals.