By IANS
Hyderabad : The issue of separate statehood to Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh again rocked the state legislature Tuesday with all members of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) suspended from both houses for two days.
Presiding officers in the state legislative assembly and legislative council suspended the TRS members as they stalled the proceedings to press their demand for adoption of a resolution seeking separate statehood for the region.
While 10 legislators of the party were suspended from the assembly, three were suspended from the council.
This is the third time in the last one week that the TRS members were suspended for stalling the proceedings of the legislature.
The TRS members returned to the legislature Tuesday after serving a three-day suspension. The members were suspended Feb 15.
Earlier, they were also suspended Feb 13 for five-days but their suspension was revoked following an appeal by the opposition parties.
As soon as the assembly met for the day, TRS members were on their feet demanding that the house pass a resolution on a separate state. When Speaker K.R. Suresh tried to go ahead with the listed agenda, they rushed to his podium.
Holding placards and shouting slogans of “Jai Telangana”, they stalled the proceedings. Amid the din, Minister for Legislative Affairs K. Rosaiah moved a resolution for their suspension, which was passed by a voice vote.
As all the 10 TRS members present in the house refused to leave, the speaker called in the marshals, who physically lifted them out. The suspended members later staged a mock assembly in the lobbies and raised slogans against the ruling Congress party.
A similar scene was witnessed in the council as three TRS members stalled the proceedings. Council chairman Chakrapani suspended them for two days. Marshals were called to evict them.
The TRS had 26 members in 294-member assembly but 10 members revolted against the party leadership a year ago.
The party, which has three members in the council, has already given an ultimatum to the Congress-led UPA government at the centre that if it failed to initiate the process for formation of separate Telangana by Mar 6, all its members of parliament and state legislature would resign.
The TRS, which had fought the 2004 elections in alliance with the Congress, alleged that the latter had gone back on its promise to grant separate statehood to Telangana region, which comprises 10 districts of Andhra Pradesh, including Hyderabad.
Last week, it launched a “bus yatra” in the region as part of its efforts to intensify the movement.