The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), protested in Lok Sabha on Tuesday over the Union Budget 2018-19 ignoring Andhra Pradesh’s demands, forcing a brief adjournment.
TDP members gathered near the Speaker's podium soon after the House met, holding placards and shouting slogans. Members from their rival party, YSR Congress (YSRCP), also did the same.
As the members protested, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for around 10 minutes.
However, when the House met again the scene was no different and the business of the House proceeded amid the din.
The TDP members raised slogans seeking "justice" and held up placards that urged the government to keep its "alliance dharma."
Several attempts by the Speaker to pacify the MPs failed and Question Hour and the rest of the proceedings went on amid sloganeering.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar assured the TDP members that the Centre was sensitive towards their demands.
"The Prime Minister and this government are sensitive about the development of Andhra Pradesh. The matters they are raising will be looked into," he said.
The agitating members, however, continued to raise slogans, and even broke into song at one point during the protests.
The House then took up the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Speech as the protests continued.
On the other hand TDP's rival, YSRCP’s MPs have also issued a notice for debate and voting over the issue of special status for Andhra Pradesh.
YSRCP MPs who staged a demonstration in parliament demanded for greater budgetary allocations while accusing TDP of 'staging drama' as they are hand-in-hand with BJP.
YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy said, "Besides special status, a special development package for Rayalaseema and North Andhra, Polavaram and Ramayapatnam port completion works must be debated in the Parliament. TDP is a partner with NDA, and the BJP-led central government, and have cheated the people of Andhra Pradesh. We need special category status and we will fight for that cause inside and outside the Parliament.”
Another YSRCP MP, Vijaysai Reddy said, "The bifurcation promises remained just catch phrases and nothing has happened till date. The state waited for four years and not even one promise was implemented. Special category status, Durgarajpatnam port, Vizag-Chennai industrial corridor, petrochemical complex in Vizag are indispensable for the state, without which we will have to continue the protest.”
(With IANS inputs)