Congress Legislature Party leader K. Jana Reddy has described the Assembly Speaker’s decision to expel two members and suspend 11 others for the entire budget session as “extreme action” by the Chair.
He said the decision exposed the “suppressive and dictatorial manner” in which the government wanted to conduct the proceedings of the House and asserted that people would teach a fitting lesson to the TRS at an appropriate time. “There are doubts about the Rule that was quoted for suspending the members. Rule 340 will be applicable when the Assembly is in session. But the session has not started as on Monday,” he said.
There were also doubts on whether the Speaker had the jurisdiction to expel the members in violation of principles of natural justice in that the expelled/suspended members were not given opportunity to air their views on the developments. Mr. Jana Reddy explained that the Congress members tried to enter the Well of the House in their eagerness to highlight the issues of immediate public importance which did not find a mention in Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan’s address to the joint sitting of the legislature.
There was no mention about the continuing suicides by farmers as also the promise of providing three acre land to each Dalit family across the State. The speech did not contain mention about the double bedroom housing scheme nor did it touch upon the moves to enhance quota for Muslims and Scheduled Tribes. The presence of marshals in big numbers in the House further aggravated the situation.
Mr. Jana Reddy said he conveyed his regrets at the turn of the things during the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee and suggested measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents. There were similar incidents in the past when the presiding officer and the ruling party exercised restraint. The passage of the AP Reorganisation Bill was one such instance where the Congress had exercised utmost restraint duly recognising the gravity of the situation. “The manner in which our (Congress) members are expelled and suspended is giving rise to doubts on whether this government can provide good governance,” he said.
He said the Congress high command was briefed about the developments over telephone and arrangements were being made to send an elaborate report so that further action could be planned. The Congress, in the meantime, planned to reach out to the people through deeksha for two days and this would be followed by similar programmes from time to time.
