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MSP issue: TDP refuses to leave the House

- PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

Dogged protest: Telugu Desam MLAs and MLCs staging a sit-in in front of the Gate 2 of the Assembly in Hyderabad on Monday night.

HYDERABAD: The demand for hike in minimum support price for paddy continued to rock the Legislative Assembly for the ninth day on Monday, even as the proceedings were disrupted due to a noisy protest staged by the Telugu Desam near the Speaker’s podium.

As the House assembled in the evening, the TDP members, who stayed put in the well since afternoon to protest the “abrupt adjournment” of the House, continued shouting slogans against the Government’s “indifference” to enhancing the MSP. Repeated requests by Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy failed to pacify the members forcing the Chair to adjourn the proceedings twice. As the din continued, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day, but the unrelenting TDP members refused to leave and continued their protest. The Chair tried to assure the members that the Government would reply to the debate on MSP on Tuesday and asked them to cooperate in the smooth conduct of the session earmarked for discussion on Bills by the Business Advisory Committee. At one stage, he convened a floor leaders’ meeting to tide over the impasse, but it proved futile as the TDP continued the protest.

The Left parties’ floor leaders were seen holding parleys with Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu, but the effort did not yield fruit. As pandemonium prevailed, the Speaker, who requested the Ministers to move the Bills slated for the day, passed them but not before the CPI (M), CPI, TRS and BJP members staged a walkout.

The parties criticised the Government for not allowing a debate on Bills of public importance and walked out saying they did not want to become party to the passage of “black Bills”. Defending the passage of the Bills, Legislative Affairs Minister K. Rosaiah said though there was no urgency in passing them, the Government was not in favour of skirting its responsibilities for the sake of the parties trying to hold the House to ransom.

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