Andhra assembly ends without debate

Hyderabad  :  The monsoon session of the Andhra Pradesh assembly ended Saturday without any debate on any issue as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) stalled the proceedings on the fifth day to press its demand for passing a resolution on Telangana.

Speaker N. Manohar adjourned the house sine die as TRS members continued to surround his podium, demanding that the house pass the resolution.

Raising slogans of ‘Jai Telangana’ and holding placards, the TRS members prevented the speaker from taking up the scheduled business of the house. The repeated appeals by the speaker and the ruling Congress party to allow debate on electricity and other issues fell on deaf ears.

Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu said the Telangana issue fell under the purview of the central government and the latter would take a decision on the same.

The government made it clear that passing a resolution on Telangana was not possible.

The speaker adjourned the house thrice and sine die the fourth time.

Not a single issue came for discussion in the assembly, which could not take up even routine business like question hour and zero hour.

The only time members could briefly speak was Friday when the house condoled the death of freedom fighter Konda Lakshman Bapuji.

The legislators of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also staged a sit-in near the speaker’s podium, demanding that the government release Krishna river water to Krishna delta.

Amid the din, TDP member P. Keshav showed a rope in the house and said farmers, who were facing a severe crisis due to lack of electricity supply and water, had no option but to hang themselves.

TDP chief and opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu said later that it was unfortunate not a single issue was discussed during the session.