Telangana MLAs suspended for disruptions

Hyderabad : Nine legislators of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) were on Tuesday suspended for the morning session of Andhra Pradesh Assembly and evicted by marshals over noisy protests, demanding withdrawal of all cases against students during Telangana statehood protests in the past one year.

The TRS MLAs staged noisy protests, raised slogans and stormed into the Well of the House as soon as the Assembly assembled in the morning, forcing a 15-minute adjournment.

Similar protests were repeated when the House reassembled as the TRS legislators surrounded the Speaker?s podium, demanding unconditional withdrawal of all cases against the student agitators within a specified timeframe.

Revenue minister N Raghuveera Reddy moved the motion for the suspension of the TRS MLAs.

Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar, who was in the Chair, ordered their suspension for the morning session and called in the marshals to evict the nine MLAs who refused to leave the floor of the House.

Other Opposition parties had also protested the government?s refusal to withdraw cases against the students.

Home minister P Sabita Indra Reddy, declining a blanket withdrawal of cases, said that all cases are being examined as political workers and other elements were also involved in the statehood agitation, not just the students.