11 TDP members suspended from AP assembly for disrupting proceedings

Amaravati: Eleven members of the principal opposition Telugu Desam Party were suspended from the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly for a day on Tuesday as they allegedly disrupted the proceedings of the House.

A visibly irritated Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy lashed out at the TDP legislators and asked them to behave in a "civilized manner" and let the House run its business.

As the unrelenting opposition members raised slogans demanding a discussion on the mysterious death of 18 people in West Godavari district, Legislative Affairs Minister Buggana Rajendranath moved a motion for the suspension of TDP MLAs.

The motion was carried by voice vote after which the suspended members left the House.

On Monday, five TDP MLAs were suspended from the Assembly for the duration of the ongoing Budget session (till March 25) over the same issue.

The Chief Minister once again spoke on the issue in the House on Tuesday and stressed that the deaths in Jangareddygudem in West Godavari district were all due to "natural causes" and not due to illicit arrack, as being alleged by the TDP.

"Many of the bodies were cremated and there was not a case registered. In one case where there was some suspicion, the authorities exhumed the body and conducted post mortem. Why would we do that if there was anything wrong," the Chief Minister asked.

He categorically ruled out illicit distillation of arrack "in Jangareddygudem, which is a municipality".

"There is a police station, Ward Secretariat and there are women police. Is it possible to illicitly distill arrack in such a place," Jagan wondered.

"Use your brains and think logically," he told the TDP members.