Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Furore over `misuse' of MPLAD funds

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD July 19. The Assembly proceedings were stalled for 15 minutes during question hour by Congress members on Friday. They demanded a discussion on their adjournment motion on "misuse'' of the MP Local Area Development fund by two Telugu Desam MPs of Hanamkonda and Warangal, C. Suresh Reddy and B. Venkateswar. They also wanted the Government to make a statement.

The Speaker, K. Pratibha Bharati, disallowed the adjournment motion and asked the Congress members to raise the issue in another form. She could not compel the Government to make a statement, she said and appealed to members not to stall question hour everyday.

But the Congress members who displayed copies of a Telugu newspaper clippings, insisted that the important issue be taken up for discussion immediately as the two MPs "blatantly diverted'' public money for construction of a guest house and a swimming pool for personal use. The TRS member, K. Chandrasekhara Rao, too joined them in making a similar demand.

The Leader of the Opposition, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, appealed to the Chair to allow the issue as short notice question if the Government was reluctant to make a statement. He said raising the issue under Rule 304 might not yield results as the only one of the two listed matters came up for discussion, daily, which often dragged on for three hours. The Speaker said she would hold a meeting of floor leaders to fix the duration of discussion on issues raised under Rule 304.

The Speaker also disallowed another adjournment motion, moved by N. Narasimhaiah (CPI-M) on forcible collection of electricity charges from people in drought-hit mandals.

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