It was a height of unruliness by the Telugu Desam Party members in the Andhra Pradesh state legislative assembly on Friday, as part of their protest against the arrest of their party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in multi-crore skill development corporation scandal.
The TDP members disrupted the assembly proceedings for the second consecutive day over the arrest of the Leader of Opposition.
As soon as the question hour commenced to discuss the estimates of Relief and Rehabilitation to Mulapeta Port, the TDP MLAs rushed to the Speaker’s podium and surrounded the chair.
They raised slogans demanding withdrawal of cases registered against the former CM and sought discussion on the matter.
All through the assembly proceedings, TDP leaders displayed unruly behaviour including the use of vulgar hand gestures, whistling, employing unparliamentary language, and even hounding and threatening the Speaker.
In fact, Naidu’s brother-in-law and Hindupur MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna continued to whistle even as ministers Buggana Rajendranath and Ambati Rambabu were trying to explain to the TDP members that the government was ready for the debate.
In response, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath said many protesting TDP MLAs are experienced, and are not maintaining decorum.
He noted that in a democracy there are established procedures to protest and warned the TDP leaders that the ruling party legislators can also respond in a similar manner.
Deputy chief minister Narayana Swamy compared the TDP members with stray dogs on the streets of villages.
“They are behaving like street dogs, who continue to bark without any reason. They are worse than the dogs,” he said.
Amid pandemonium, Speaker Tammineni Sitaram adjourned the House for about 20 minutes. When the House reassembled after adjournment, TDP legislators continued their protests. But the TDP members continued to do whistling even after the House was adjourned.