AP: Suspension of 13 TRS members revoked

In a day of fast developments, Telangana Rashtra Samithi members were suspended from the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly for five days for disrupting the proceedings on Thursday morning. However, acceding to the request of other opposition parties, the speaker revoked the suspensions and the members came back to the House.

Earlier, the suspensions were ordered by Speaker K R Suresh Reddy after the unrelenting TRS members obstructed the question hour and insisted that the House take up a resolution urging the Union government to take immediate steps for the formation of separate Telangana state.

As soon as the House assembled for the day's sitting, TRS members were up on their feet, raising slogans and waving placards in support of their demand for separate Telangana. Some of them rushed towards the podium. As his repeated pleas to the agitated members to restore order in the House went in vain, the speaker adjourned the House for 10 minutes.

As the unruly scenes persisted with the TRS members remaining adamant on their demand, the speaker ascertained the opinion of the floor leaders of other opposition parties.

Finance and Legislative Affairs Minister K Rosaiah moved the motion for suspension of 13 TRS members till the evening of February 18. The suspended TRS members refused to leave the House. Marshals were summoned to evict them from the House.

Later, the TRS members held a noisy demonstration near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the assembly premises.

Later, they went out and staged a dharna at the Telangana martyrs memorial at the Gun Park opposite the assembly complex. They raised slogans against the Congress for "deceiving" the people of Telangana.

After the Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy spoke in the House on the vexatious Telangana issue and explained why the TRS members were suspended, the floor leaders of other opposition parties requested the chair to revoke the suspensions so that TRS members could also seek 'clarifications' on the chief minister's statement.

The speaker asked the Legislative Affairs Minister Rosaiah to move the motion for revoking the suspensions with immediate effect.

On Wednesday, the first working day of the Assembly's budget session, the TRS members had forced the adjournment of the House for the day by disrupting the question hour. Two TRS members were suspended from the AP Legislative Council the same day for obstructing the proceedings.