Opposition stalls House

Speaker asks Home Minister to prepare a statement on Sadak Bandh arrestsA Hyderabad: With opposition parties, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in particular, staging continuous protests, the House was adjourned without transacting any business on Friday. However, Speaker Nadendla Manohar directed the Home Minister to prepare a statement on the arrests made during the Sadak Bandh and present it before the House on Saturday. As soon as the session commenced in the morning at 9 am, the Speaker rejected the adjournment motions moved by various parties� TRS on Sadak Bandh and Telangana resolution, BJP on Telangana resolution, TDP on drinking water crisis, YSR Congress on weavers' problems, CPI on Anganwadi workers and the CPI (M) on mid-day meals and price rise. TRS legislators, who came to the House sporting black T-shirts as a mark of protest against police highhandedness during the Sadak Bandh, rushed near to the podium demanding the Speaker to allow them to speak on T issue, besides arrests of Etela Rajender, Prof. Kodandaram and other leaders. On the other hand, TDP and YSR Congress members stood up from their seats to draw the attention of the Speaker. Repeated pleas by the Chair for restoring parity proved unsuccessful after which N Manohar adjourned the House till 10 am. The same scenes were witnessed after the House reassembled for the second time. Although Speaker sought the cooperation of the members for debate on motion of thanks on the Governor's address, the TRS and TDP members continued with their protests near the podium. Amidst din, the Speaker announced that questions for the day were deemed to be answered. Also, Finance Minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy made a statement on supplementary estimates of expenditure for 2012-13, following which the Speaker adjourned the House for half an hour. Pandemonium prevailed in the House after it met again at 11.38 am. Sensing the mood of the House, Speaker directed the Home Minister to prepare a statement and table it on Friday. However, TRS legislators carried on with their sloganeering, which led to adjournment of the House for the day. Earlier, TRS legislators including T Harish Rao and Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, as a mark of respect to the father of the constitution B R Ambedkar for his strong support to formation of small states, placed a memorandum on formation of separate T at Ambedkar's statue located at Tank Bund and took out a padayatra to the Assembly from there.

Council proceedings thrown out of gearA Bauxite mining lease Hyderabad: On failing to convince opposition members who staged a protest in the well of the Council hall seeking cancellation of bauxite mining lease to Visakha agency for a third time on Friday, Chairman Dr A Chakrapani adjourned the proceedings for the day. PDF member MVS Sarma, Leader of Opposition Dadi Veerabhadra Rao, CPI leaders J Wilson, PJ Chandrasekhar Rao, CPM leader Ch Sitharamulu, noted educationist Chukka Ramaiah, Prof. K Nageswar and many others stormed into the well and asked the Chairman to sort out the issue. Earlier, the House was first adjourned at 10.30 am and then at 11.20 am on the same issue. When the House reassembled, Leader of the House and Minister for Endowments, C Ramachandraiah said that there was a conflict between two Union ministries-Mining and Tribal Welfare- opposition members did not relent and insisted that tribal rights would be protected by cancellation of the lease. Though, the Minister tried to pacify them by stating that the ball is in the Centre's court, his attempts proved futile. Vexed at this, the opposition members shouted slogans against the government for its stand. They did not accept for a floor leaders meeting and the Chairman with no other option on hand adjourned the House. It may be recalled that out of 245 village panchayats in the agency about 114 which are supposed to be affected by mining had in unison sent an appeal to the Centre to cancel the bauxite mining lease.