Unruly scenes in AP Assembly: TRS MLA tries to 'manhandle’ Govt Whip, another legislator

Hyderabad: Tempers ran high in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Friday during the debate on the draft AP Reorganisation Bill as TRS legislator K. Vidyasagar Rao rushed menacingly towards Government Whip Dronamraju Srinivas and allegedly tried to manhandle him.

The TRS legislator also allegedly manhandled one of the senior-most MLAs Gade Venkata Reddy (Congress), triggering angry protests by Seemaandhra members cutting across party lines.

Both Congress and TDP members from Seemaandhra demanded an apology from the TRS member and wanted the Speaker to come to their rescue.

Regretting the unruly behaviour of his party colleague, TRS floor leader Etela Rajender said what Vidyasagar Rao did was wrong.

"He should not have behaved like that," Rajender said.

It all began when Rajender himself was participating in the debate on the draft Bill.

Taking exception to certain remarks made by Rajender, while arguing the cause of a separate state, Whip Dronamraju, hailing from Seemaandhra, wondered what their fate would be if the state was divided when Telangana members were behaving like this even before the state was formed.

At that point, Vidyasagar rushed towards Dronamraju and tried to manhandle him.

Senior legislator Gade tried to prevent an ugly scene but Vidyasagar pushed him aside. This led to slogans and counter-slogans between Telangana and Seemaandhra members.

Gade expressed anguish that Vidyasagar held him by his shirt and wondered if it was the decorum of Telangana members.

Gade demanded an apology from the TRS over this. "We know how to defend ourselves if TRS resorts to such acts," he said.

TDP senior legislators Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy and Dhulipalla Narendra Kumar strongly condemned the TRS member's action and demanded an apology.

"It's not proper to attack any member of the House. The Speaker should come to our rescue. The entire House should condemn the TRS MLA's act," Dhulipalla demanded.

It was an attack not only Gade alone but on entire Seemaandhra people, Bojjala remarked.

Legislative Affairs Minister S. Sailajanath also came down on the intemperate TRS member and said it was not proper for the latter to threaten other members.

The issue subsided after the TRS floor leader expressed regret over the incident and castigated his party colleague.

Earlier, Rajender alleged not a single person from Telangana was appointed as Advocate General in the united state, prompting Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to rebut the charge.

"Four Chief Ministers from Telangana ruled the state. Why did they not appoint a lawyer from Telangana as the AG? In fact, one of the four Chief Ministers (P V Narasimha Rao) from Telangana went on to become Prime Minister of the country. We got him elected to Lok Sabha from our region (Nandyal in Rayalaseema) fearing he might be defeated (in Telangana)," the Chief Minister pointed out.

Intervening, Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu recalled his party did not field any candidate against P V Narasimha Rao since a Telugu person became the Prime Minister of India.

"But when he died, the Congress did not even let him body be placed in the AICC headquarters for paying homage. Nor was a memorial constructed for the great man in New Delhi," Chandrababu regretted. Why were the Congressmen not questioning this, he wondered. "This is not an injustice to PV Narasimha Rao alone but to all Telugus," Chandrababu lamented.