Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Ch Ayyanna Patrudu on Thursday expressed surprise at how some YSR Congress Party legislators were signing the attendance register without actually attending legislative sessions.
Referring to this practice, he questioned, "Why are they signing the register like thieves? Has anyone seen YSRCP MLAs attending the Assembly?"
The Speaker named several YSRCP members, including Balanagireddy, Tatiparthi Chandrasekhar, Matsyalingam, Virupaksha, Vishweshwara Raju, Akepati Amarnath Reddy, and Dasari Sudha, stating that they had signed the attendance register without being present in the session.
Ayyanna Patrudu emphasized that elected representatives should uphold the dignity of the legislature by actively participating in proceedings.
Expressing his frustration, he remarked, "Signing the register in such a clandestine manner does not enhance their honor."
Responding sharply to the Speaker’s comments, YSRCP MLA from Yerragondapalem, Tatiparthi Chandrasekhar, called his remarks disgraceful, particularly for referring to Bahujan legislators as thieves.
"We choose to leave this matter to the Speaker’s wisdom," Chandrasekhar said, criticizing the Speaker’s choice of words.
He further countered, stating, "Thieves are those who betray a Chief Minister and usurp power, those who buy legislators like commodities, those who camp in hotels like Viceroy, and those who use the Speaker as a shield to stab their own party leader in the back."
Chandrasekhar denied any wrongdoing, clarifying that YSRCP MLAs signed the register openly in the designated hall following the instructions of the Assembly staff.
"We did not sneak into the Assembly at midnight to sign the register. We are not thieves, nor do we need to act like them," he asserted.
He also claimed that YSRCP legislators were performing better than many ruling party MLAs, actively raising public issues, exposing government corruption, and holding the administration accountable.
Drawing a comparison to TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu’s past conduct, Chandrasekhar pointed out that Naidu remained absent from the Assembly for two and a half years when he was in the opposition.
"If we are thieves, then what do you call your party chief, who stayed away from the Assembly but continued to enjoy all the privileges of an MLA and opposition leader?" he questioned.
The exchange has further intensified the political tension between the ruling TDP-led coalition and the YSR Congress Party, adding to the ongoing legislative battle in Andhra Pradesh.