By IANS
Hyderabad : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Tuesday denied making derogatory remarks about opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu as the issue continued to create an uproar, leading to TDP members being suspended from the assembly for the day.
Telugu Desam Party legislators raised the matter as soon as the house met and rushed towards the speaker's podium shouting, "We want an apology". The speaker first adjourned the house for 10 minutes and when protests continued after the house reassembled, he suspended 30 legislators for one day.
YSR, as the chief minister is known, denied that he made any derogatory reference to Naidu's mother.
"I only said that after I expose you Chandrababu, you will regret why you were born to your mother and you will feel that it would have been better if you were not born at all.
"The gist of what I said is that after I expose him, he will hold his head in shame and regret why he was born," the chief minister said, denying allegations that his remark was an insult to motherhood.
"I have highest regard for motherhood. I have neither made any derogatory reference to anybody's mother nor I will do it in future," he said.
"I have still came forward to request you (speaker) to expunge any of my utterances which you find unparliamentary."
The speaker said he had called for the record and after examining it would expunge any unparliamentary comments.
The chief minister said he made the remark against Naidu because he had made many derogatory remarks against the speaker and brought up wild allegations against his government.
"His party is misleading people and making baseless allegations that we siphoned off thousands of crores while the fact is that it was Naidu who had given lease for mining in Obulapuram in 2002," he said, referring to the alleged illegal mining in Obulapuram area in Anantapur district.
But protests continued outside the house with TDP legislators staging a sit-in in the lobby of the building as party activists staged anti-YSR protests for the second consecutive day and even took out mock funeral processions.
The issue focuses on the iron ore mining by Obulapuram Mining Corp (OMC), owned by G. Janardhan Reddy, a member of Karnataka legislative council and a friend of YSR. TDP alleges that illegal mining has been going on and that the government has been losing huge revenues.
The ruling Congress party says it was Naidu's government that gave the mining lease in 2002. "I have in fact several things to say on the issue but the TDP is running away from debate," said YSR.