Now, TDP, TRS in room row

After power and Metro Rail, both parties are involved in spat over sharing of rooms in Assembly

Hyderabad: There seems to be no end to verbal war between the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on one issue or the other in the new State of Telangana. Freshly, both parties are slugging it out regarding allotment of rooms in Assembly. While TDP Legislature Party sought a room in Assembly lobbies, Legislative Minister T Harish Rao informed that it was not possible due to shortage of rooms. This forced TDP floor leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao to go a step ahead and state that they would not hesitate to occupy Legislative Affairs Minister' chambers if the ruling party did not accept their request. Responding to it, Harish dared them to do so and see the consequences.

Fresh controversy regarding rooms arose in the wake of Harish Rao's comments in a press conference held a day earlier. TDP legislators led by Dayakar Rao met Harish Rao in his chambers on Tuesday and asked him to allot a chamber since their party was the third largest party in Telangana. They contended that a party containing even a single member was allotted a chamber in the undivided State.

Harish asked them to understand the problem and co-operate with the ruling party. Meanwhile, TDP proposed a different idea. They said two rooms occupied by them on AP Assembly premises (just beside chambers of AP Ministers) were lying vacant. Since both Houses would not function at the same time, they suggested TS Assembly Secretary to write to his counterpart in AP and seek their consent to use two rooms while the House was in session. TDP leaders told Harish Rao that they met Secretary on this subject on three occasions earlier.

Harish did not give any assurance but told the TDP legislators that he would speak to Assembly and Secretariat officials and take a decision.