YSRCP motion on Heritage stalls Council proceedings

Vijayawada: Legislative Council witnessed repeated disruptions on Tuesday after Opposition YSRCP members moved an adjournment motion seeking a discussion on the alleged supply of ghee by Heritage under the name of Indapur Dairy. The protests brought the House to a standstill for the entire day, forcing Chairman Koyye Moshen Raju to adjourn proceedings twice before finally postponing the session to Wednesday.

Soon after the commencement of the 49th session of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, chaired by Moshen Raju, YSRCP MLCs K R J Bharat and Dr Sipayi Subrahmanyam submitted an adjournment motion seeking a debate on the issue. However, the Chairman declined permission for discussion and proceeded with Question Hour.

In protest, YSRCP members rushed to the well of the House, surrounded the Chairman’s podium with placards, and raised slogans against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and the TDP-led NDA government. Slogans such as ‘NDA palana kalthi (NDA rule adulterated),’ ‘Chandrababu palana kalthi (Chandrababu governance adulterated),’ ‘Heritage palu kalthi (Heritage milk adulterated),’ and ‘Govinda… Govindaa’ echoed throughout the chamber.

Amid the uproar, revenue minister Anagani Satya Prasad began replying to questions raised by YSRCP members Chinni Govinda Reddy, Thota Trimurthulu, and Ponnapureddy Ramasubba Reddy. He appealed to the Chair to restore order, noting that the questions had been raised by opposition members themselves. Despite the continued protests near the podium, the minister delivered his response. Health minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav also presented his reply amid the din.

When the Chair called upon minister K Atchannaidu to respond to another question regarding the scarcity of equipment in veterinary hospitals, he urged that proceedings continue only after order was restored in the House.

Meanwhile, minister Kolusu Parthasarathy expressed anger at the behaviour of YSRCP members, alleging that the party was attempting to divert public attention from the alleged use of adulterated ghee during the previous government to prepare Tirupati laddu.

Chairman Moshen Raju then requested Leader of the Opposition Botsa Satyanarayana to restrain his party members. Though Botcha attempted to speak, the protests intensified, preventing him from being heard.

The Chairman appealed to members to maintain decorum and respect the Opposition leader’s attempt to address the House, but his request went unheeded. He adjourned the Council for 15 minutes. When the House reconvened after nearly an hour, the agitation continued unabated, prompting a second adjournment.

After proceedings resumed, YSRCP members continued their protest. Minister Atchannaidu challenged the opposition to produce evidence to support their allegations that Heritage supplied ghee used in laddu preparation.

With repeated appeals from the Chair failing to restore normalcy, the Chairman finally adjourned the House for the day, postponing further proceedings to Wednesday. The disruption meant that no substantive legislative business could be conducted throughout the day.