Pandemonium prevailed in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Thursday over the allegation by former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that he was man-handled by the Chief Marshal during a protest against the controversial G.O. No. 2430.
His demand that the Speaker take action against the Chief Marshal was met with a counter demand by the YSR Congress (YSRC) MLAs that Mr. Naidu owed an apology for making objectionable comments on Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on December 11.
Chaos amidst cacophony
The House plunged into chaos when slogan-shouting TDP MLAs gathered at the Speaker’s podium insisting action be taken against the Chief Marshal for being discourteous to them, particularly for allegedly pushing Mr. Naidu away.
Opposition MLAs accused the Chief Marshal of using force against them when they were peacefully protesting against the government curbs on the media through the impugned G.O.
Badge of protest
The Chief Marshal is said to have disallowed Mr. Naidu and his party MLAs to enter the Assembly premises wearing black badges and behaved rudely with them.
Citing rules, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy objected to what he called TDP MLAs’ ‘pre-conceived’ plan to disturb the proceedings.
‘Jagan too wore black shirt’
Mr. Naidu recalled that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had worn a black shirt in the Assembly in September 2016 and his father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had broken the glass panes of his (Mr. Naidu's) chambers in the Assembly in the unified State many years ago.
The issue took many twists and turns and culminated in the demand by YSRC MLAs that the Speaker should refer the alleged derogatory remarks against Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy by Mr. Naidu on Wednesday and Thursday. Following this, the TDP MLAs were knocked away to the Ethics Committee and take appropriate action against those who vitiated the atmosphere on the Assembly premises.
