Council chair calls for new rules to ensure order

Vijayawada: Legislative Council chairman Koyye Moshenu Raju will refer the case of disruption of the house by Telugu Desam MLCs to the Ethics Committee and come up with new rules to ensure smooth conduct of business in the house.

TD members disrupted the council session for the fifth consecutive day by entering into the well and climbing up the podium. They were pressing for a discussion on the call for prohibition of liquor and on the death of 42 persons after allegedly consuming ID liquor at Jangareddygudem in West Godavari in recent days.

The TD legislators also raised slogans against chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The chairman repeatedly asked TD MLC Nara Lokesh and other TD members to stop the disruptions. “It appears you are coming with a single agenda. This is not the only issue to be discussed here. Lokesh, you served as a minister. Several new members have come to the council with high expectations to raise several issues and get replies from the government. We are looking for your support to run the house properly, but you are not listening,” he said.

Earlier, agriculture minister Kurasala Kannababu urged the chairman to refer the issue of disruptions to the Ethics Committee and called for new rules to run the house without continuous disruption.

Several members expressed their concern over the way the session was being disrupted.

Earlier, leader of opposition Yanamala Ramakrishnudu raised objections to the presence of marshals in the house and asked the chairman whether he had anticipated trouble from the TD members. He wanted the chairman to send them away before taking up the day’s business and this was done.