AP Budget Session: YSRC takes on Speaker for ignoring demand

Hyderabad: In a strong protest against the chair “disallowing” YSR Congress legislators to register their protest and stage a walkout from the assembly, they sat down in the podium of the house on Wednesday for some time.

Trouble started during question hour. YSRC members asked the Speaker on two occasions to allow them stage a walkout. The Speaker appeared to have ignored their plea and moved to the next questions. YSRC members then rushed to the podium and raised slogans.

At that time, the Speaker adjourned the house for 10 minutes. After the house reassembled, house panel speaker Prabhakar Chowdary conducted the proceedings for some time.

When Speaker Kodela Siva Prasad came back to the chair, YSRC members again rushed to the podium and sat down in a protest. The Speaker asked them what the protest was about.

Opposition leader Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “If the Opposition is not satisfied with the answer given by a minister, it has the right to register a protest or stage a walkout. But, here, for that also, the Opposition is not being given permission. So, to bring a change in your attitude, our members sat down in the podium. Unless you (Speaker) give an assurance that you will allow us to register protests, if not today then from tomorrow, our members will not resume their seats.”

Reacting to this, the Speaker said, “Every time you (Jagan) are asking me permission only after I go to the next question. At the end of every answer, I looked up to you, but you did not raise your hand seeking any permission. So, I moved to the next question.”

Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy said the Speaker was looking always to the treasury benches and not looking to the Opposition benches.

Then the Speaker said if the Opposition leader sought his permission before he moved to the next question, there should be no problem. He would respond. Jagan then advised his members to resume their seats.

Jagan to show CM Naidu’s poll videos
The Leader of Opposition and YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday asked Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu whether he would resign from the CM’s post if he proved him going back on his poll promise.

Mr Reddy was replying to charges made by government whip K. Ravikumar, who accused the YSRC chief of misleading people on crop waiver loans.

Participating in the Budget discussion in AP Assembly on Wednesday, Mr Ravikumar said the TD had promised to waive crop loans if it comes to power, but the Opposition  leader was misleading people that the TD had promised to waive all agriculture loans.

Sharply reacting to this charge, Mr Jagan said that Mr Naidu had promised unconditional waiver of all farm loans including gold loans.

“I have video cassettes of Naidu’s speeches. If you want I will play them. Naidu, in every meeting during the elections, promised that he will waive all agriculture loans once he comes to power. I had said that it would require '80,612 crore loan waiver, which is not possible.”