TRS MLAs threaten to JUMP off assembly building unless...

Two Members of Legislative Assembly from the Telangana Rashtra Samiti on Friday climbed the Legislature Party building in the Andhra Pradesh assembly premises and threatened to jump off if a separate state of Telangana was not created immediately.

Other MLAs of the party burnt an effigy of the ‘Seema-Andhra government’ near the legislators' entrance gate in the assembly premises.

Holding black flags, the two MLAs -- K Sammaiah and D Vinay Bhaskar -- climbed the terrace of the building and also demanded that all the Telanagna protagonists arrested by police in connection with the Chalo Assembly programme on Friday be released immediately.

Assembly marshals brought the two MLAs down after an hour.

The AP assembly was, meanwhile, adjourned for the day without transacting any real business as TRS, Telugu Desam Party (Telangana Forum), Communist Party of India and Bharatiya Janata Party legislators disrupted the proceedings on the statehood issue.

Two adjournments did not restore order and when the House re-assembled the third time, Speaker Nadendla Manohar asked Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy to move two Bills.

After the formality was completed amid the din, the House was adjourned for the day.

Nearly 20 TRS, BJP and CPI MLAs, who were sitting at the two gates of the assembly after it was adjourned, were detained.

Earlier, the Telangana issue stalled the proceedings of the assembly, which resumed its budget session on Monday, even as Hyderabad city remained under beefed-up security in view of the Chalo Assembly call given by pro-Telangana activists.

The assembly proceedings were adjourned twice on Friday morning, as TRS and TDP MLAs from the region stormed the Speaker's podium, demanding the immediate creation of a separate state.

Sporting black T-shirts, TRS MLAs were up on their feet as soon as the day's proceedings began and demanded that Parliament immediately pass a bill for the creation of Telangana state.

The TDP legislators from the region joined the issue, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for 30 minutes.

The BJP and the CPI joined the TRS and the TDP members in the Well of House when it re-assembled after an hour.

With no sign of order even after he made repeated appeals to the protesting members, the Speaker adjourned the House for another half an hour.

The treasury benches wore a deserted look as most members, including Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha and ministers, did not enter the House.

Only three ministers could be found inside the House as the Opposition din continued to paralyse the proceedings.

Image: MLAs protest at the Andhra Pradesh assembly premises | Photograph: SnapsIndia