Hyderabad, February 18: Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy tendered an apology to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan in the aftermath of unprecedented scenes witnessed during his address to the joint sitting of the State Legislature on Thursday. He drove down to the Raj Bhavan and conveyed his feelings to the Governor on the ‘unfortunate incident’.
Strongly condemning the ruckus created by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the Telugu Desam members, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy apologised to the Governor on behalf of the legislature and on behalf of the people. He also decried the assault on Lok Satta Party MLA Jayaprakash Narayan and Congress MLC Paladugu Venkat Rao by TRS legislators.
Dark day
“The Andhra Pradesh Legislature enjoys high credibility in the country for its functioning and today’s incident has sullied its image. It is a dark day in the annals of the State legislature and I tender my apology to the Governor as well as the people as the leader of the House,” he said at a press conference.
The Chief Minister assured the members that such things would not recur. Stating that everyone has a right to air his or her views in a democratic set-up, he said even if there was a difference of opinion, it should be respected.
Affront to legislature
Referring to the assault on the two legislators, he said politicians could differ on their views but resorting to physical attacks was not proper. “Such incidents on the premises of the Assembly bring down the image of the legislature,” he pointed out.
Deputy Speaker N. Manohar described the incident as an affront to the legislature. “Every citizen in the country has the right to air his views and protest in a peaceful manner. Institutions of the Governor and legislature are vital organs of democracy,” he said. Flaying the incidents, Mr. Manohar said he had expressed personal regrets to Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan and Mr. Venkat Rao. “We all in one voice feel ashamed of the incidents,” he remarked.
Council Chairman A. Chakrapani said the unruly incidents were shocking to lovers of democracy. He said members came with the motivation of insulting the institution of the Governor and the presiding officers. “Today’s incidents are a black day in the history of the legislature,” he said.
“I had seen the legislature since 1976. Many parties have come and gone but such incidents have never been witnessed,” he observed.
–Agencies