Eight members of YSR Congress were today suspended from AP Legislative Assembly for 3 days for their "unruly behaviour" following which the opposition decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the speaker charging him of being "partial and behaving like a TDP worker"
The Speaker announced the suspension of the MLAs after Legislative Affairs Minister Y Ramakrishnudu moved a resolution to this effect.
The YSR Congress members have been coming into the well of the House and tapping on the Speaker's podium for the last few days, Ramakrishnudu said, justifying the move.
The suspended MLAs (as also other members of the party) continued to be in the Well of the House despite appeals to vacate the House by the Speaker, who then summoned marshals.
The MLAs, who raised slogans against the Speaker, refused to relent and were bodily lifted and taken out.
Before their suspension, the YSR Congress members trooped into the Well when the Speaker allowed agriculture minister P Pullarao to speak even as YSRC chief and opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy was speaking on the budget and sought more time.
Taking exception to the suspension, Jagan said if one verified the last five minutes of his speech, it would be clear that he was speaking on issues of public interest.
Even as Jagan accused the Chair of not being "impartial", the Speaker said the conduct of the YSR Congress members was nothing short of "anarchy".
The Speaker told Jagan not to "twist facts" and said that discussion on budget could not be even taken up in the last three days.
In protest against the Speaker's action, Jagan, with folded hands, left the House, accompanied by his party MLAs.
Following the suspension, YSR Congress complained to Governor ESL Narasimhan and announced its decision to move the no-confidence motion against the Speaker. The party has decided to boycott rest of the Assembly session and attend only when called to discuss the motion.
"It is very shocking and unprecedented that Speaker directly gets involved in a debate and passes a dictum to refrain the Leader of Opposition from talking on a particular subject. He has been behaving like a TDP worker and not in a manner that would uphold the dignity of the Chair," Jagan told reporters.
