By IANS,
Hyderabad : In yet another incident lowering the dignity of Andhra Pradesh assembly, a state minister and brother of late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Monday came to blows with members of opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Minister for Agriculture Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy rushed towards TDP members and snatched placards they were displaying in the house.
The unprecedented incident took place after Deputy Speaker N. Manohar adjourned the house for half an hour as TDP continued to stall proceedings demanding a Joint Legislative Committee (JLC) probe into the land allotments by the late chief minister.
“YSR gang of thieves” was written on the placards displayed by TDP members. In a fit of rage over the TDP attempt to defame his late brother, Vivekananda rushed towards TDP members G. Muddukrishnama Naidu and C. Prabhakar and snatched the placards from them.
TDP legislators alleged that the minister attacked them and he was also joined by two legislators of the Congress party loyal to YSR’s son Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, Jagan as he is popularly known.
Angry over the incident, TDP demanded the sacking of Vivekananda from the cabinet. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy summoned him to his chamber for talks.
The TDP also demanded that the deputy speaker release the visuals of the attack on its members and take action against the guilty.
Vivekananda Reddy joined the cabinet as a minister Nov 1 last year, ignoring the advise of his nephew Jaganmohan Reddy.
Accusing the Congress leadership of causing a rift in the family, Jagan quit the party and also resigned as member of parliament. He floated the YSR Congress Party earlier this month.