The Winter Session of Telangana legislative Assembly on Friday began on a stormy note with the Opposition parties resorting to protest marches and demonstrations outside the Assembly building.
While the Congress had given a call for “Chalo Assembly” to highlight the problems of farmers including the waiver of loans, the TDP-BJP MlAs took out a march with the dried crops in the hand to demand assistance for the farmers affected by recent heavy rains
Police took into custody Congress leaders K Jana Reddy, State Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, leader of Opposition in legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir when they tried to stage sit in protest outside the State assembly. Some other Congress leaders, including former MP Poonam Prabhakar, MlA G Venkatramanna Reddy, Marri Shashidhar Reddy were rounded up from the Telangana Martyrs memorial when they tried to hold a demonstration there.
Police made elaborate arrangements to prevent Congress workers from marching to the State Assembly from Congress State headquarters Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad. All the routes leading to the Assembly were barricaded and a large number of policemen were deployed.
Similarly all the roads linking Hyderabad to the districts were also sealed and police was deployed to prevent Congress workers from entering the city.
Hundreds of Congress workers and party leaders were taken into preventive custody all over the State to stop them from reaching the city. Many senior leaders, including former MP Poonam Prabhakar, were put under house arrest.
K Jana Reddy charged the KCR Government with resorting to repressive and autocratic measures to curb the democratic right of peaceful protests. He alleged that the Government had arrested thousands of Congress workers to foil the protest.
Meanwhile, TDP-BJP leaders walked from the lal Bahadur stadium to Assembly building demanding help to the farmers, who suffered crop damage due to heavy rain this month.
State BJP President K lakshman and floor leader G Kishan Reddy and state TDP president l Ramanna and party MlA Sandra Venkat Veeraiah participated in the protest. They walked carrying the damaged plants of cotton, paddy and chilly in their hands to highlight the problems of the farmers.
Commenting on Congress protest the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that it was painful as the government was ready to discuss all the issues in the floor of the House.
Minister for municipal administration and information technology K Taraka Rama Rao lashed out at Congress party. “While we are ready for discussions they are ready to create trouble”, he told the media.
KTR said that the Congress had demanded only 20 day session but the Government has agreed for an unprecedented 50 day long winter session to discuss every single issue and problem of the people. “If need be we are ready to extend it further”, he said.