TRS disrupts Andhra Governor's address to legislat

The Budget Session of the Andhra Pradesh state legislature began on Wednesday on a stormy note with the opposition Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) disrupting state Governor ESL Narasimhan's address to the joint session of both Houses. Raising slogans of "Jai Telangana", the TRS legislators tore papers of the Governor's speech and threw them at him. The Governor's security personnel stood as a shield, protecting him from the papers flung at him. Noisy scenes were witnessed the moment the Governor began his address. TRS members shouted: "Jai Telangana!" and "Governor go back!" They were joined by members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The TRS alleged that the Governor was trying to stall the formation of a separate Telangana state. Unfazed by the slogan shouting, the Governor rushed through his prepared text. After completing his speech, the Governor, sporting a smile, greeted all the members with folded hands. Main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) boycotted the Governor's address, terming the speech a "pack of lies". The TDP legislators reached the Assembly with lanterns and empty pots to protest the government's failure to overcome shortage of electricity and drinking water. In 2011 too, the Governor was heckled by TRS and some TDP members from Telangana during his address on the first day of the Budget Session. IANS