Telangana Congress legislators boycott Andhra assembly

HYDERABAD - Adding to the woes of the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh, party legislators from Telangana Monday decided to boycott both the houses of the state legislature to demand a bill in parliament for formation of a separate Telangana state.

Members of the legislative assembly boycotted the house Monday while members of the legislative council would follow suit from Tuesday.

They said they would boycott the entire budget session if the central government failed to make a categorical statement on Telangana and introduce a bill in parliament for formation of a separate state.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy summoned the legislators and told them that it was not proper on their part to boycott the assembly as they belonged to the ruling party but they defended their action.

The legislators had been raising slogans in favour of separate state in the assembly since last Friday, embarrassing their own government.

Meanwhile, the assembly was adjourned till Tuesday without transacting any business. Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar adjourned the house for the day after two adjournments and his repeated appeals failed to restore order.

Telangana legislators of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) stalled the proceedings to demand that the house pass a resolution for the formation of a separate state. Members of the Communist Party of India (CPI) supported them.

Taking a jibe at the TDP, Minister for Legislative Affairs D. Sridhar Babu told the house amid pandemonium that it was the TDP chief and then chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu who opposed carving out a separate state.

He drew attention to a statement made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani that the then BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the centre could not take a decision in favour of Telangana because its ally TDP was against a separate state.

In his counter attack, Naidu said Advani was resorting to double standards.

“Mr. Advani had then said that since Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh, it can’t be given to a separate state. It is not proper on his part to say one thing in power and the other while in opposition,” he said.

The TDP chief blamed the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government for the present situation in the state and the delay in taking a decision on the Srikrishna committee’s report. His remarks led to an uproar in the house.

Members of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) did not attend the assembly Monday as they had left for their constituencies to organise a rail blockade Tuesday.