Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Cong. MLAs' bid to storm CM's chambers

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD MARCH 22. In a bizarre and unusual move, Congress MLAs today reacted emotionally to their suspension from the Andhra Pradesh Assembly by `seeking to storm' the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu's chambers.

The angry Congress members jostled and pushed the Chief Minister's security staff in their attempt to break in. In the process, the glass door through which they sought to gatecrash was damaged. Mr. Naidu was in his chambers while the slogan-shouting MLAs, led by Komatireddy Venkata Reddy and N. Raghuvira Reddy, were locked in heated argument with the security.

At a point when the Congressmen seemed set to break the cordon, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu was advised to move into the House. A minute later, the Leader of the Opposition, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who joined the party MLAs, meanwhile, was allowed to go in. Dr. Reddy headed straight to the inner lobbies and staged a sit-in near the door used by Mr. Naidu and Ministers. The marshals later removed Dr. Reddy and other MLAs.

On an exaggerated tip-off that `outsiders' entered the Assembly premises, the Director-General of Police, P. Ramulu, dashed straight into the inner lobbies, access to which is normally restricted to members and designated Assembly staff.

While the Opposition contended that they only wanted to protest against the Government's `indifference' to the farmers' suicide, the treasury benches saw it as a `premeditated attempt' to attack the Chief Minister. Photographers and videographers, covering the `action,' were unwittingly drawn into the vortex of the drama when some of them were roughed up by Assembly marshals for entering the inner lobbies. Mediamen took the matter to the Speaker, K. Prathibha Bharati, and the Chief Minister demanding that the Chief Marshal tender an apology.

Earlier, during the zero hour mentions, placard-waving Congress members demanded that the Government pay ex-gratia to the families of farmers who committed suicide as was done in Karnataka. The Government contended that it could not be hustled into a spot decision during zero hour. The unrelenting Opposition insisted, leading to eventual suspension for the day of the 33 Congress and 2 CPI(M) members.

A Congress delegation, led by Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy and the APCC president, M. Satyanarayana Rao, met the Governor, Surjit Singh Barnala, at Raj Bhavan in the evening and submitted a memorandum demanding payment of ex-gratia to farmers' families and decrying the `high-handed' manner in which Congress MLAs and mediapersons were treated by the Assembly security.

What happened in the lobbies on Saturday was decidedly in bad taste. The ruling Telugu Desam Party and the Opposition, for their own reasons, described the incidents `as black day in the annals of the legislature history.'

Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy termed the suspension `arbitrary and without provocation,' smacking of dictatorial rule while N.Narasimhaiah (CPI-M) said the Government lacked grace to concede a demand that cost mere Rs. 60 lakhs.

The Telugu Desam MLAs said the incidents showed Dr. Rajasekhara Reddy in `true colours' and questioned Congressmen intentions in gatecrashing into the CM's chambers.

`This is nothing short of rowdyism and goondaism.'

The Chief Minister said it was a planned move to stall discussion on an important issue - water conservation on World water day.'

This was a black day in the history of the Assembly which needed to be criticised in the strongest terms by all democracy-loving people.

He said he would never allow himself to be `provoked' by such actions. It was regrettable that the leader of a responsible party should himself encourage such despicable actions.

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