The YSR Congress (YSRC) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLAs came to blows in the Legislative Assembly on March 20, during a protest by the latter against G.O. Ms.No.1 through which the government imposed curbs on political meetings on public roads.
Soon after the Question Hour started at 9 a.m., TDP MLAs rose from their seats and shouted slogans against the G.O. and went on to the Speaker’s podium and picked up an argument with him and threw pieces of the G.O. all around even as Ministers Ambati Rambabu and Audimulapu Suresh and others strongly deplored their (TDP MLAs’) behaviour.
As the TDP MLAs continued to indulge in a verbal duel with Speaker Thammineni Seetharam, YSRC MLA T. J. R. Sudhakar rushed on to the Speaker’s podium and scuffled with TDP MLA D. Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy. Mr. Swamy fell down in the melee and it resulted in a larger skirmish between the ruling and Opposition MLAs. The Speaker went into his chamber when the YSRC and the TDP MLAs confronted physically.
Former MLA Vellampalli Srinivas and the TDP MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary entered into a heated argument in the well of the House and were about to have an altercation, when marshals came in and restrained the warring MLAs.
The marshals stood like a wall between the YSRC and the TDP MLAs as they hurled abuses at each other. The TDP MLAs continued their protest by squatting on the floor near their allotted seats.
Published - March 20, 2023 11:38 am IST
