AP: TRS, TDP MLAs try to manhandle Governor

The Andhra Pradesh Legislature descended into chaos today when Telangana Rashtriya Samiti and Telegu Desam Party MLAs hailing from Telangana region virtually manhandled Governor E S L Narasimhan during which the mike and the lectern were uprooted and chairs on the podium pulled down.

Lok Satta Party president N Jayaprakash Narayan and Congress MLC Paladugu Venkata Rao were also allegedly beaten up in the Assembly.

The legislature was rocked by unruly scenes as the Governor was delivering the customary address to the joint sitting of Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council on the opening day of the Budget Session. Legislative Council Chairman A Chakrapani sustained fracture on his right ankle when two TDP MLAs from Telangana suddenly pulled down the chairs on the podium, an official said, even as an unperturbed Governor wore a smile on his face and continued with his address.

Chief Minister Kiran Reddy while describing the incidents as a "dark day" in the history of the state legislature expressed regrets to the Governor and apologised to the people of the state. The TRS MLAs first uprooted the mike and later the lectern as the Governor began his address.

Suddenly, two TDP MLAs – A Revanth Reddy and Mahender Reddy – rushed from behind and pulled down the chairs on the podium. In fact, Revanth Reddy surged towards the Governor and tried to pull him aside even as the Governor's personal security staff prevented the MLA.

The TRS MLAs also tore copies of the Governor's speech and flung them at him while raising slogans "Governor go back". TRS MLA T Harish Rao and his colleague Sammaiah climbed the members' table and tried to jump over the main podium but marshals, who rushed inside the House, prevented them. His colleagues stormed the podium and tried to push the Governor.

Some marshals bodily lifted the unruly TDP and TRS MLAs and took them out of the House. Harish Rao and another TRS MLA K T Rama Rao assaulted even the marshals while they were were being taken out. Chakrapani and Assembly Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar said said they would initiate appropriate action against the guilty after obtaining a detailed report from security personnel.

The TDP MLAs from Telangana region too joined the protest and flung their shawls at the Governor. A large posse of plainclothes policemen (marshals) encircled the podium and stood guard to the Governor. Amidst the din, an unperturbed Governor continued reading his 38-page speech and completed it in nine-and-a-halfminutes. The entire proceedings lasted just about 14 minutes. Narasimhan skipped the vexed Telangana statehood issue in his address.

Narasimhan, however, made a veiled reference to the ongoing agitation for a state of Telangana, saying, "Political\communal violence is under effective control and check. The overall law and order situation in the state is quite satisfactory".

Jayaprakash was returning after addressing the media on the incident when TRS MLAs K T Rama Rao (K Chandrasekhar Rao's son), D Vinay Bhaskar and Aravinda Reddy crossed his path and allegedly pushed and beat him.

The TRS MLAs also allegedly beat up senior Congress MLC Paladugu Venkata Rao who happened to be there. Both Jayaprakash and Rao are supporters of a unified AP.

The Lok Satta Party chief, who suffered minor injuries in the attack, was treated by the Assembly doctors.

The CM held an emergency meeting with some of his Cabinet colleagues in the Secretariat later in the evening and discussed Thursday's incidents and how to run the Budget session smoothly.