Legislators of opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) were suspended from Andhra Pradesh Assembly for one day on Tuesday for stalling the proceedings.
Speaker Tammineni Seetharam suspended 10 TDP members as they surrounded his chair and raised slogans, refusing to allow him to conduct the proceedings.
As soon as the House met for the day, the TDP MLAs were on their feet demanding that their adjournment motion be taken up for debate on price rise. As the Speaker rejected the notice for adjournment motion, the TDP members trooped into the Well of the house.
They were raising slogans in support of their demand for debate. Refusing to resume their seats despite repeated appeals by the Speaker, a couple of them tote some papers and threw the pieces towards the Speaker. Some of them also blew whistles.
Amid the pandemonium, the Speaker announced a tea break. When the House re-assembled, TDP members continued their protest, insisting on debate over price rise.
Minister Ambati Rambabu took strong exception to the behaviour of TDP MLAs. Stating that the opposition members have no respect for the Speaker, he demanded action against those who threw pieces of papers on the chair.
With the TDP MLAs continuing their protest, the Speaker announced their suspension for one day. As the members refused to leave the House, the Speaker called marshals to bodily lift them out.
The suspended TDP MLAs included party’s state president Kinjerapu Atchen Naidu and actor N. Balakrishna.
The TDP legislators also tried to raise the issue of price rise in the Legislative Council and insisted on a debate.
Earlier, the TDP MLA and MLCs reached the Legislature complex in a rally to highlight the problem of price rise. Carrying placards and holding a banner, they alleged that the YSRCP government has burdened the people with price rise, taxes and charges.