Congress, TRS MLAs slap each other

Hyderabad: TRS Achampet MLA Guvvala Balaraju slapped Makthal Congress legislator Chittem Ramamohan Reddy during an acrimonious meeting of the zilla parishad at Mahbubnagar on Friday. Mr Reddy tried to push back Mr Balarju and in the melee hit him in the face, which led to a free-for-all. The Congress has called for a bandh today.

Caste angle invoked in MLAs fight:

The slapping incident at the Mahbubnagar zilla parishad meeting took a casteist turn. While Mr Balaraju demanded that an SC, ST atrocity case be booked against Mr Reddy for allegedly using casteist and abusive language and attacking him, the latter demanded the arrest of Mr Balaraju for slapping him.

Both legislators lodged separate complaints with SP T. Vishwa Prasad. In protest against the slap, the Congress has called for a Mahbubnagar bandh on Saturday. The zilla parishad meeting chaired by Mr Bandari Bhaskar began on a heated note with the Opposition Congress, TD and others demanding that the district be declared drought-hit in view of acute shortage of water of drinking water, withering crops, lack of fodder for cattle.

They demanded speeding up of irrigation projects and questioned the government on the Palamuru scheme. Industries minister Jupally Krishna Rao and health minister Dr C. Laxma  Reddy, who were also present, flayed the Opposition for criticising Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on developmental work. Mr Krishna Rao lost his cool and shouted at TD members.

Congress MLA D.K. Aruna said that TRS was trying to kill Congress MLAs refusing to join the party and if no action is taken against erring TRS MLAs, Congress will gherao CM camp office.