Day 3: Amid ruckus, AP Assembly adjourned

Hyderabad: The script remained the same for the third successive day in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly Thursday as the House could not transact any business and was caught in pandemonium created by the TDP and TRS on the liquor syndicates and the Telangana statehood issues respectively.

The Question Hour was postponed for the third day amid the din.

Speaker Nadendla Manohar kept on pleading with the members to let the House run but to no avail as the TDP and the TRS members stayed put in the well of the House, holding placards and raising slogans on the respective issues.

The Speaker adjourned the proceedings for half an hour in the first instance within nine minutes after the House assembled at 9 am but there was no order even when it resumed after an hour.

"We are not utilising the opportunity given to us by the people of the state. It is very unfortunate that for the third consecutive day we are unable to transact any business," the Speaker lamented. "Please don't waste time of the House," Manohar repeatedly appealed to the protesting members.

He said discussion on the liquor syndicates issue would be taken up on Tuesday but the TDP members did not relent.

This led to the second adjournment for another half an hour, even as Manohar invited floor leaders of all parties for a meeting to break the deadlock.

At the floor leaders' meeting, it was decided that the liquor syndicates issue would be taken up for discussion on Tuesday.

The House then reassembled but both the TDP and the TRS members continued to surround the Speaker's podium.

Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu too appealed to the Opposition members not to stall the House but his pleas too fell on deaf ears.

Left with no option, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.