AP Assembly adjourned as opposition ups ante

Hyderabad, Feb 21: Andhra Pradesh assembly was on Tuesday adjourned for the day as the opposition parties did not allow the House to transact any business even as a nonchalant government maintained a stoic silence on their demands.

With the determined opposition led by TDP and TRS appears unrelenting on their respective set of demands, the ongoing logjam between them and the government has deepened.

The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) stood its ground demanding a discussion on the liquor syndicates, while Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) stuck to its guns seeking passing a resolution for creation of separate state.

Barely seven minutes after the day's proceedings began after a three-day holiday, the House had to be adjourned as the TDP and the TRS legislators stormed the Speaker's podium and raised slogans in support of their demands.

Speaker Nadendla Manohar, who rejected the adjournment motions moved by the opposition parties on different issues, repeatedly requested the members to maintain order but to no avail.

As per the Speaker's announcement on Thursday, the House was to discuss the liquor syndicates issue today but the TRS was in no mood to let it happen.

The Speaker then adjourned the House for half an hour and convened a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the assembly to break the impasse.

The TDP members staged a sit-in at the Speaker's chamber protesting the adjournment of the House.

At the BAC meeting, the TDP and the TRS remained firm on their respective stands. The TRS made it clear that it would not let the House run till a resolution seeking creation of Telangana state was moved.

The BJP and the CPI too wanted a discussion on the Telangana issue while the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen insisted on a discussion on the harassment of innocent Muslim youth and lifting of false cases against them in the Old City area of Hyderabad.

PTI