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Congress members suspended as party halts AP house

All the 23 Congress members of the Andhra Pradesh assembly were suspended for a day today, for stalling the proceedings of the house against the government's move to dissolve the Warangal municipal corporation.

Soon after the suspension of the Congress members, including legislature party leader P Janardhan Reddy, marshals were summoned and some of them were bodily lifted out of the house.

The house witnessed noisy scenes with the Congress members rushing towards the podium frequently and demanding the withdrawal of the show-cause notice served on the Warangal mayor by the government. They were asked why the corporation should not be dissolved following the manhandling of the commissioner, allegedly by two Congress corporators.

At one stage, the Congress members squatted in the well of the house as several pleas from Speaker Y Ramakrishnudu and Deputy Speaker Mohd Farooq fell on deaf ears.

The house also witnessed slogan-shouting by the Congress legislators and counter-slogans by the ruling Telugu Desam Party members like "Congress goondaism down down".

Raising the issue during the zero hour, the Congress members said it was not proper on the part of the government to dissolve the corporation due to the action of two corporators.

Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India-Marxist also urged the government to drop the 'undemocratic' move. Instead, it could initiate criminal action against the two corporators, they added.

The speaker repeatedly appealed to the Congress members -- who remained on their feet stalling the proceedings for more than 40 minutes -- to resume their seats and a lengthy debate on the issue could be taken up in some other form. However, the Congress members stood their ground and demanded the government withdraw the show-cause notice.

As the Congress legislators continued to stall the proceedings, Finance and Legislative Affairs Minister P Ashok Gajapathiraju moved a motion for their suspension. After the suspension, the CPI members staged a walk-out against the 'undemocratic' move of the government. Though the CPI-M members protested against the move, they remained in the house.

Later two Congress members, who were not present when other members were suspended, staged a walkout.

Municipal Affairs Minister B Satyanarayana Murthy said the government would decide on the action to be taken after it receives the mayor's reply to the show-cause notice.

Social Welfare Minister K Srihari, who hails from Warangal, said there was no legal provision for the government to take action against the guilty corporators.

At one stage, the deputy speaker said nothing would go on record as the Congress and TDP members traded charges, but nothing could be heard in the din.

Later, the suspended Congress members staged a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the assembly complex.

UNI

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