AP Assembly Rocked By Opposition Demand For Debate On Special Status

Hyderabad: Absolute pandemonium prevailed in Andhra Pradesh Assembly during the opening hours on Friday following the Opposition YSR Congress Party insisting on a discussion on the special status.

The MLAs raised slogans against chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and decried the special financial assistance announced by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. They demanded that speaker should first allow for a discussion on the special status issue before the House takes up the day’s scheduled business. However, following speaker Kodela Sivaprasad Rao’s refusal to permit any discussion YSRCP legislators walked up to the podium of the Speaker and voiced their protests.

Following speaker Kodela Sivaprasad Rao’s refusal to permit any discussion YSRCP legislators walked up to the podium of the Speaker and voiced their protests.

However, marshals prevented the legislators from laying a siege to the speaker’s podium. Following the pandemonium, speaker Sivaprasad Rao adjourned the house for ten minutes. Earlier, YSRCP MLAs reached the Assembly clad in black shirts to register their protests against the Centre’s decision to grant only financial assistance and not special status.

Speaking to the media outside the Assembly, YSRCP MLAs said the adjournment shows the adamant attitude of the state government in not giving a chance to the opposition to speak in the Assembly. They also termed the Speaker’s refusal for a discussion as unjustified.