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Pro-Telangana MLAs heckle AP Governor during address
Tear copies of his speech, uproot mike, ransack seats, grapple with martials
Suresh Dharur
Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, February 17
In an unprecedented development in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, the slogan-shouting pro-Telangana legislators disrupted Governor ESL Narasimhan’s address, uprooted his mike, tore the copies of his speech and flung the papers at him. On a day when the members’ conduct touched a new low, the Governor faced the wrath of a combative group of MLAs belonging to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the Telugu Desam when he rose to address the joint session of the Assembly and council on the opening day of the budget session.

Demanding immediate steps for the creation of a separate Telangana state, the members shouted “Governor go back” and blocked the main entry point, forcing him to enter through the rear gate.

Utter chaos prevailed in the House as the legislators moved menacingly towards the podium in a bid to prevent Narasimhan from delivering his speech. One of the TRS MLAs attempted to pull the papers from the Governor’s hands. However, with a gentle smile, the Governor firmly held the papers and refused to let them slip. Seconds later, the legislator pulled out the mike before being overpowered by the security staff.

Taken aback by the ambush, Narasimhan quickly gathered his wits and continued reading out the speech. Sensing that the situation was spinning out of control, the Assembly staff blacked out the live telecast of the proceedings.

Amidst the furore, TDP MLAs Mahidhar Reddy and Revanth Reddy surged ahead and ransacked the ceremonial seats meant for the Governor and Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar. The marshals were then called in to evict the agitating legislators. Soon, the MLAs clashed with marshals who had a tough time in bodily lifting them out of the hall. In the meantime, some legislators kept raising full-throated slogans against the Governor and throwing bits of papers at him.

In the midst of the din, Narasimhan hurried through his speech, skipping several pages in the process, and completed it in just 15 minutes. As if the ruckus inside the House was not enough, more trouble was in store outside. The TRS MLAs and their supporters attacked the civil servant turned politician and Lok Satta Party MLA Dr Jayaprakash Narayan in the assembly premises. Dr Narayan, who is opposed to bifurcation of the state, was leaving the media point after addressing journalists when TRS legislators confronted him and made provocative gestures. One of the MLAs K Taraka Rama Rao, who is the son of TRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao, was captured by television cameras ordering his followers to attack Dr Narayan for criticising the members’ behaviour inside the House.

Seconds later, the former bureaucrat was assaulted by TRS activists in full media glare. He was hit on his back and head. A visibly shaken Dr Narayan was rescued by the police. Later, he lodged a complaint with the Deputy Speaker. The TRS legislators justified their action, saying they would not tolerate if anybody tried to insult the Telangana movement. The incident evoked widespread condemnation from legislators across party lines.Meanwhile, the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy apologized to the Governor for the incidents in the House. The furore coincided with the launch of an indefinite non-cooperation movement by nearly four lakh government employees across the Telangana region, demanding the introduction of a bill in the Parliament for carving out a separate state.