AP Assembly adjourned over CM's land issue

Hyderabad, Dec 13 (UNI) The issue of voluntary surrender of land owned by Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's family members today rocked the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, which was abruptly adjourned for the day without transacting any business with the Opposition stalling the proceedings while pressing for his resignation.

A day after the Chief Minister reportedly admitted to voluntarily surrendering 618 acres of land owned by his family members in Kadapa district, members of the opposition parties- TDP, TRS, CPI, CPI(M) and BJP stormed the well of the House as soon as Speaker K R Suresh Reddy disallowed adjournment motions given notice of by them.

Utter pandemonium prevailed in the House with the ruling and opposition party members exhibiting their lung power following which the Speaker adjourned the House for 30 minutes.

In a bid to break the impasse, the Speaker then held discussions with floor leaders of various parties.

As the former was ready for a debate only on Friday and the latter insisting on setting aside the listed business of the House and an immediate discussion on the issue, the Speaker made it clear that he would no any longer mediate between them.

Expressing dismay over the conduct of members, the Speaker lamented that their behaviour was only showing the House in a poor light before the public. He wanted the floor leaders to decide among themselves and advice him on a way out to conduct the House in an orderly manner.

With the opposition parties in no mood to heed to his pleas, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.

Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu told newspersons outside the Assembly that the Opposition would not allow normal functioning of the House until the Government agreed to an immediate discussion on the 'burning issue'. The Chief Minister was 'unfit' to hold the post after his ''admission of violation of the Land Ceiling Act, he claimed.

On the other hand, Cabinet Ministers N Raghuveera Reddy, Dhramana Prasada Rao, Kanna Lakshminarayana, Mohd Ali Shabbir and M Mareppa hailed the Chief Minister for his 'bold decision'. Talking to reporters, they lamented that instead of appreciating it, the Opposition was resorting to mudslinging.

Although the government had agreed for discussions on the Chief Minister's land issue, the Opposition had resorted to undemocratic methods to avoid discussions on important issues of the Margadarsi Financiers which was on the agenda for the day, the ministers claimed.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) floor leader Nomula Narasimhaiah and TRS floor leader G Vijayarama Rao demanded the government to take back all assigned lands in possession of influential people and give them back to the Dalits.

UNI TEAM SM PB BST1812