Appropriation Bill 2013 passed

• House adjourned sine die
• Speaker rejects spate of adjournment notices
• Noisy scenes mar last day of the session

Hyderabad: The State Assembly has adopted the Appropriation Bill for Rs 1,61,346 crore for the financial year, 2013-14 without any discussion amidst disruption by the opposition parties. Passing the Appropriation Bill would facilitate drawal of funds by the government from the Consolidated Fund of the State. Earlier the House was adjourned for three times before Finance Minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy moved the bill.

As soon as the House met at 9 am, Speaker Nadendla Manohar disallowed adjournment motions moved by various opposition parties- Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Nagam Janardhan Reddy, Venugopalachary gave notices demanding Telangana resolution in the Assembly, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) wanted adjournment on land settlement allegations against TRS legislator

KTR, YSR Congress on creation of government posts and age relaxation, BJP on injustice to Backward Classes in local bodies reservations, CPI on displaced persons due to construction of projects, CPI (M) on problems of field assistants on national rural employment guarantee scheme (NREGS). This led to protests by TRS and TDP leaders who rushed to the podium. With pandemonium prevailing in the House, Speaker adjourned the House for 30 minutes. Same scenes were witnessed when the Assembly met again at 10.20 and 11.59 am forcing Nadendla Manohar to adjourn it for two more times.

TRS continued its protest near the podium even after the House re-assembled at 1.30 pm. Amidst the din, Finance Minister moved the Appropriation bill. Meanwhile few TDP and TRS legislators tore papers into small pieces and threw them in the air protesting against passing the Appropriation Bill without discussion. Soon after the Speaker adjourned the House 'sine die,' Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and Speaker N Manohar left the Assembly.

The TDP MLAs staged a dharna in front of the TDLP office and the left party leaders protested at the media point protesting against the manner in which the government avoided discussion on all important issues. The Chief whip G Venkataramana Reddy said that it was an unfortunate situation that the Assembly could not take up any issue for discussion and adjournments had become the order of the day. Only saving grace according to him was the discussion on demands for grants by departmental related standing committees.

The TDP, TRS and YSRCP failed to ensure that the House functioned smoothly. Referring to the earlier statements of TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao who had said that there was no need for a resolution on Telangana in Assembly, Reddy said if that was the case the TRS had no case to demand a resolution in the Assembly. He charged the TDP of resorting to blackmailing the Speaker. The party has no faith in democracy. Its leader did not attend the Assembly when SC/ST Sub Plans were passed and the party walked out when Bangaru Thalli Bill was introduced, he said.