Liquor tragedy: TDP protests continue in Council on Day-2

Vijayawada: TDP members in Legislative Council staged a protest for the second consecutive day on Tuesday in council hall demanding discussion on the deaths due to consumption of liquor in Jangareddygudem of West Godavari district. The TDP members reached the podium and demanded that the discussion be held in the Council. The council chairman, Moshen Raju, repeatedly said health minister Alla Kali Krishna (Nani) would make his statement on the deaths but the TDP members persisted with their demand.

Minister for municipal administration and urban development Botcha Satyanarayana appealed to legislators to wait for the health minister's statement and termed the demand for discussion on hooch tragedy as incorrect and wasting of time of the House. He said Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has made a statement in the Assembly on Monday about the deaths already.

As the protests continued, the chairman adjourned the House first time at 10.20 am. The House resumed at 11.20 am again after which ministers gave reply to some questions asked by the members but the TDP members once again interrupted the business.

Leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council Yanamala Ramakrishnudu demanded that Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy come to the council and make his statement regarding this tragedy. However, the Chairman rejected the demand stating that health minister Alla Nani can give make a statement.

Responding to it, Ramakrishnudu said the statement of Alla Nani has no validity since CM had given the statement in the Assembly. He insisted that CM make the statement in the council too.

Senior leader and YSRCP member Ummareddy Venkateswarlu said under the Rule No. 306, health minister can give the statement in the Assembly. He said senior members like Ramakrishnudu are familiar with the rules of House but the TDP members were not satisfied with the answer and continued the protests near the podium. Later, for the second time the house was adjourned at 11.50 am.

The proceedings resumed at 1.25 pm and continued till 1.40 pm and later it was adjourned again for Wednesday.

The PDF MLCs have raised objection on the proceedings of the house stating that valuable time is getting wasted in the House and they have to raise some important issues related to schools, education, Nadu-Nedu works, etc.,