YSRCP's apology letter 'tantamount to casting aspersions on Chair,' says Speaker

Stating that the YSR Congress Legislature Party has sought to revoke the suspension of its MLA R K Roja from the House for one year, Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao on Thursday said that he was not satisfied with the tone taken by the party.

"The YSRCP members regretted their behaviour in the Assembly and sought revocation of the suspension. But the letter they gave to me has content that is tantamount to casting aspersions on the Chair and the House proceedings," a report in The Hindu quotes him as saying.

The report also added that the Speaker said that the gravity of the indiscipline warranted stringent action against the member.

This came on the same day that the Congress party extended solidarity with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA Anitha and demanded that the YSR Congress expel its MLA from the party for allegedly insulting Anitha by using derogatory language on the floor of the Legislative Assembly.

On Wednesday, the YSRCP alleged that Rao was behaving like a ruling TDP member and served a no-confidence notice to him.

"The Speaker is frequently going to the rescue of the ruling party Ministers and MLAs while denying opportunity to the Opposition to raise issues relating to the people," YSRCP leader Sujaya Krishna Ranga Rao had said.

Read: 'Will go to court against Speaker's decision, TDP's Anita is lying': Roja speaks to TNM