Telagana Assembly adjourned briefly on Hyderabad Central University issue

Hyderabad: Telangana Legislative Assembly was on Saturday adjourned for 10 minutes soon after it met for the day following demand by Opposition Congress for a debate on the ongoing unrest in Hyderabad Central University.

Congress members, who wore black stoles, sought a debate on the HCU issue. Legislature affairs minister T Harish Rao, however, pointed out that it was decided in the Business Advisory Committee (BSA) to take up adjournment motion after the Question Hour.

The Congress members then trooped into the Well of the House insisting on taking up the issue, after which Deputy Speaker Padma Devender Reddy adjourned house for 10 minutes.

Telangana Congress has expressed solidarity with the protesting students of HCU and its president N Uttamkumar Reddy yesterday called on the students at a jail where they were lodged.

Reddy, who visited the students and teachers arrested on March 23 in connection with alleged attack on the VC's office the previous day, at the Cherlapally Prison here, had alleged that the Union and Telangana governments have adopted a dictatorial attitude towards the HCU students and playing with their lives.

Yesterday, the family of deceased dalit scholar Rohith Vemula and the Congress demanded the immediate release of 25 students and two faculty members of HCU arrested in connection with the violence at the campus.

Subsequently, the House witnessed two more adjournments with members of Congress and the Left parties insisting on taking up the debate on the HCU issue.

Congress also sought to raise the issue of alleged attack on a party member in the Osmania University in Hyderabad.

During the proceedings, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said Opposition members have ample opportunity to discuss the HCU issue as Home department was incidentally a part of the agenda on Demands for Grants.

Opposition leader K Janareddy (Congress) said there are several subjects which are part of the Demands for Grants and that the issue concerning students needs to be taken up separately.

Subsequently, ruling TRS member Jalagam Venkatrao started speaking, but the Opposition and Left members trooped into the Well of the House and raised slogans that the government is 'anti-Dalit'.

The chief minister disapproved of the raising of slogans and said the Opposition can discuss the issue. MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said the HCU issue cannot be mixed with others for taking up the debate as it concerned Dalits.

With Congress members also trooping into the Well, the deputy speaker adjourned the House for 10 minutes.