Telangana Assembly nod for Land Bill amid Congress din

Hyderabad: The special one-day session, called to amend the Telangana Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Telangana Amendment) Act-2016 concluded in just 10 minutes in the Assembly without any debate and in three minutes in the Council amid din by the Opposition Congress.

The Assembly for the first time saw marshals virtually forming a human wall in front of the Congress benches to prevent them from going into the well. As the House met for the day, Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, who handles Revenue and related portfolios, moved the Bill. Congress members, who were holding placards, stood up and tried to raise the issue of chilli prices.

Stating that the Assembly has been convened only to pass the amendments to the Bill, Speaker S Madhusudhana Chary asked the Congress members to resume their seats and participate in the discussion on the Bill. But the Congress members continued with their protest.

At this point, the Speaker asked AIMIM member Ahmed Pasha Quadri to speak on the Bill. As Quadri got up, the Congress members raised the pitch of their protest and tried to enter the well of the House but were prevented by the marshals.

Minister for Legislative Affairs T Harish Rao appealed to the Speaker to put the amendments to vote since the Congress members were not willing to speak. He said the Chief Minister and the Speaker had made it clear at the BAC meeting that the session was exclusively for passing the amendments. But still for narrow political gains the Congress was creating ruckus, he said.

Following this, Mahmood Ali appealed to the Opposition to let the Bill be passed and the Speaker took up the procedure to pass the same. He announced the passage of the Bill and adjourned the House sine die. The BJP and TDP members were not part of the proceedings as they were suspended from the House earlier.