By IANS
Hyderabad : The issue of separate statehood to Telangana region rocked the state assembly for the third consecutive day Friday with all members of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) suspended for three days.
As TRS members stalled the proceedings to press their demand for adoption of a resolution seeking separate statehood to the region, Minister For Legislative Affairs K. Rosaiah moved a resolution for their suspension, which was passed with a voice vote.
All the 11 members of TRS present in the house were suspended till Feb 18.
Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy’s request to the suspended members to leave the house fell on deaf ears, forcing him to call the marshals, who bodily lifted the legislators.
This is the second time in as many days that TRS members were suspended from the house. On Thursday, 13 party legislators were suspended till Feb 18 but their suspension was revoked minutes later on an appeal by other opposition parties.
As soon as the house met for the day, TRS stalled the proceedings, seeking adoption of a resolution while the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the communist parties encircled the speaker’s podium against the hike on petrol and diesel prices.
Amid the din, the speaker adjourned the house for 15 minutes. When the house reassembled, the speaker allowed the parties to take part in the impromptu debate on Telangana, which was set off by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s statement on the issue after the TRS members were suspended Thursday.
TRS had 26 members in the 294-member assembly but 10 members revolted against the party leadership a year ago.
The party has already given an ultimatum that all its MPs and legislators would resign if the central government did not initiate the process for formation of a separate Telangana by March 6.
TRS, which had fought 2004 elections in alliance with the Congress, alleged that the latter had gone back on its promise to grant statehood to Telangana region, which comprises 10 districts of Andhra Pradesh, including Hyderabad.