The Andhra State Legislative Council was adjourned for the third consecutive day on Thursday without any business being carried.
The opposition parties demanded that the Question Hour and other business be put off for discussion on liquor scam and Telangana and moved adjournment motions. Reacting on the adjournment motions, Council Chairman Dr A Chakrapani said that a motion once disallowed could not raised in the same session.
Showing displeasure on the Chairman’s remarks, the TDP members stood up and demanded debate on liquor scam. In reaction, the members of treasury benches stood up and started raising slogans like “We want Question Hour.” During this showdown between treasury and opposition benches, Tourism Minister Vatti Vasanth Kumar advised the Chairman to go for voting whether to conduct Question Hour or go with debate as being demanded by the opposition. However, the Chairman said that as the House was not in order he could not do anything and seeing the pandemonium he adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
After two hours when the House re-assembled, Leader of Opposition D Veerabhadra Rao got a chance to speak briefly. He said when a sarpanch, MPP and councilor were barred from getting contracts in their local areas, then how could a minister got contracts in the name of his son. Dismissing the allegation, Agriculture Minister Kanna Laxmi Narayana said that the opposition had no courage to go for a debate and have been stalling the proceedings for no valid reason. However, Veerabhadra Rao said that the government was afraid of a debate and was not ready to place the ACB report in the House.
Meanwhile, the opposition members again started raising slogans and demanded Excise Minister Mopidevi Venkataramana’s resignation. The slogans were reciprocated by the Treasure benches.
Since the House was completely out of order, the Chairman adjourned the House for the day. (INN)