Opposition stage dharna over adjournment of House

Hyderabad, Sep 16 (UNI) Indicating the likely political realignment for the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) joined hands with the Communist Party of India (CPI), CPI(M) and Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and staged a dharna here today in protest against abrupt adjournment of the House yesterday by Deputy Speaker G Kutuhalamma.

Taking up the TRS cause, TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu, addressing the protestors in front of the Dr B R Ambedkar statue in the Tank bund area, criticised the Speaker K R Suresh Reddy for ''undue delay'' in disposing of the disqualification case against TRS dissidents under the anti-defection law.

The ruling Congress had ''engineered a split in the TRS by luring nine of its legislators'', Mr Naidu alleged, questioning how Ms Kutuhalamma could allot time for a dissident TRS member, overlooking the TRS floor leader during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Speaker yesterday.

CPI floor leader Ch Venkata Reddy, CPI(M) floor leader N Narasimaiah and former TRS Minister N Narasimha Reddy took part in the demonstration, protesting against the way the no-confidence motion resolutions were rushed through in the assembly.

After the vote of confidence for the Manmohan Singh Government in Parliament, the TDP, a constituent of the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA), had moved closer to the CPI and CPI(M), which fell out with the Congress over the Nuclear deal, and also with the TRS, which voted along with the TDP against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government.

The four parties had floor coordination in the just-concluded Monsoon session of the Assembly and raised various issues in tandem.

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