Hyderabad: Thirty members of Opposition parties were on Monday suspended from the Telangana Legislative Assembly for the remainder of the ongoing Monsoon Session by the Speaker for disrupting the proceedings in support of their demand that the TRS government waive farmers' loans at one go.
The Opposition members from Congress, TDP, BJP, CPI and CPI-M who closed ranks on the demand for loan waiver in one go instead of a phased-manner implementation, raised the issue soon after the House met for the day.
Speaker S Madhusudanachary, who took up Question Hour, rejected the demand, saying that the House had already discussed farmers' issues for two days last week.
He appealed to the Opposition members to resume their seats, but they did not relent.
Observing that the government had already said it would make sincere efforts for waiving the loans in one go, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said it is not correct if the Opposition members disrupted the proceedings of the House.
"Government has said what it can do. We said we will sincerely try. After that, saying that you have to 'announce today, announce now'...we can only say what we can do," Rao said.
As the Opposition MLAs entered the Well of the House and raised slogans, the Speaker asked Legislative Affairs Minister T Harish Rao to move the motion for suspension of the members.
Members of MIM and a few from Congress and TDP were not among those suspended.
The Opposition members have been demanding that the TRS government waive the farmers' loan, an election promise of the ruling party, in one go, instead of doing so in a phased manner.
The waiver of loans would help in putting an end to the ongoing suicide by farmers due to distress, they said.
Hitting out at the TRS government, Opposition leader (Congress) K Jana Reddy alleged that the government did not rise to the occasion when the farmers have been in distress.
The government tried to muzzle the voice of Opposition with the suspension, BJP floor leader K Laxman charged.
