TDP stalls proceedings in AP Assembly, House adjourned

Hyderabad, Aug 27 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker K R Suresh Reddy today adjourned the House for the day after the opposition, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), members stalled the proceedings in the Assembly, demanding a debate on the suspension of party MLA K Balarama Krishna Murthy for six months.

As soon as the Question Hour was over, TDP Floor leader N Chandrababu Naidu demanded that the Speaker allow discussion on the issue of the MLA, who was suspended yesterday based on the report submitted by the Privileges Committee.

''It was the first time that an MLA was suspended from the House in the history of state,'' he said.

Alleging that the inquiry conducted by the Committee was not transparent and his party MLA was suspended without a debate in the House, Mr Naidu said as the report of the Committee was House property, a thorough discussion should be held on the issue in the Assembly.

Suspension of the MLA was ''undemocratic'', he said, adding that there was a need to conduct voting before taking action on the legislator.

Even after the Speaker suggested that the TDP MLAs send a letter to him on the issue, the legislators trooped into the well and obstructed the proceedings in the House.

The Speaker adjourned the House for 10 minutes after the TDP MLAs did not heed to his suggestions.

As the situation remained unchanged in the House after it reassembed, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.

Meanwhile, the suspended MLA staged a dharna in front of Gandhi statue inside the Assembly premises. Mr Naidu and the TDP MLAs joined to support him.

The TDP MLA was suspended from the House for making ''derogatory remarks'' against the Speaker at a meeting last year.

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