Assembly passes three key bills amid din over Lagacharla row

Hyderabad: Amid pandemonium, three crucial bills were passed in the Assembly on Tuesday, including the Young India Physical Education and Sports University of Telangana Bill, Telangana Universities (Amendment) Bill and Telangana Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill.

The BRS legislators who wore black shirts as a mark of protest continued their demonstration while resorting to sloganeering in the House for the second consecutive day.

They demanded the Assembly take up discussion on the Lagacharla issue.

Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu introduced the GST Amendment Bill, while Damodar Raja Narasimha introduced the Telangana Universities (Amendment) Bill and Konda Surekha introduced Young India Physical Education and Sports University of Telangana Bill. All the three key bills were passed without discussion amid uproar even as the House resumed business after two hours of break, at 3 pm.

The session witnessed intense protests as BRS members demanded a discussion on the handcuffing incident involving a farmer from Lagacharla in Vikarabad district. In spite of the appeals from the Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar urging the members of the House to cooperate in passage of the bills, they carried on with their demonstration holding the placards. In the meantime, even the BJP Legislators also joined the clamour demanding debate over the Congress government’s claims of implementing the six Guarantees.

Ministers Sridhar Babu and Seethakka while referring to the norms asked the Opposition benches to maintain decorum and take part in the proceedings. Blaming the BRS legislators of purposefully disrupting the proceedings of the House, he urged the Opposition to engage in constructive discussion.

Later, during the discussion on Tourism Policy, Government Whip Adi Srinivas along with other Congress MLAs countered the allegations of the BRS that Congress government was anti-farmer.

Adi Srinivas alleged that the BRS was not allowing the discussion on Tourism policy as they failed adopt any policy during their ten year of tenure not only for the tourism department but also other departments. Following passage of bills, the Speaker announced adjournment of the House for the day.