AP MLAs create ruckus over Telangana; house adjourned twice

Legislators from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions did not allow the Andhra Pradesh assembly to transact business when the winter session resumed on Friday as they remained firm on their demand that the Centre drop the move to bifurcate the state.

The house was supposed to take up discussion on the draft AP Reorganisation Bill-2013, referred to it by the President. The House had to be adjourned twice, first for 30 minutes and then for an hour, as members belonging to the Telugu Desam and the YSR Congress surrounded the Speaker's podium holding placards and raising slogans demanding that the state be kept united.

Speaker Nadendla Manohar rejected the adjournment motions moved by the TDP and the YSRC on the state division issue and sought to take up Question Hour. Major Industries Minister J Geeta Reddy read out replies to the first listed question but Seemaandhra MLAs continued with their protest.

Amid the din, the speaker adjourned the proceedings for half an hour within five minutes after the session began at 9 am. When the House resumed after the first break, the same scene continued with the TDP and the YSRC members staying put in the well, raising "Samaikya Andhra" slogans.

The speaker put off all questions listed for the day and announced tabling of annual reports related to Singareni

Collieries and Tirupati Urban Development Authority. As his appeal to members to return to their seats and let the House transact business fell on deaf ears, the speaker adjourned the proceedings for an hour.