Minister assaults Opposition party legislator in Assembly

The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly witnessed an unprecedented incident on Monday when YS Vivekanada Reddy, the state agriculture minister, assaulted a member of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

The minister, brother of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), was enraged at TDP legislators displaying placards in the House that read ‘YSR gang of thieves’ and clashed with them.

The TDP members, who have been demanding a joint legislative committee (JLC) on land allotments under YSR government for more than one week in the Assembly, continued their protest while carrying placards with slogans targeting the former chief minister as soon as the session started on Monday morning.

What it appeared to be an usual scene in the House had turned uglier when the minister rose from his seat and rushed to the opposition benches and tore of the placards being displayed by a couple of legislators belonging to the opposition party.

Reddy raised his hand at TDP member Chintalapudi Prabhakar, when he made some comments at him. The minister also threw his hand at Gali Muddu Krishnama Naidu, a senior TDP member sitting in the front row when he questioned the former’s behaviour.

The members of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen stopped the surging minister and the members of the TDP from entering into a full-blown fight even as a group of MLAs loyal to YSR’s son Jagan Mohan Reddy along with Ahmedulla, a minister hailing from Kadapa district, loudly argued with the opposition members exchanging abuses in support of the minister.

The deputy speaker, Nadendla Manohar, adjourned the House immediately. Meanwhile, the Assembly marshals also entered the floor of the House taking both sides away from each other.

All the opposition parties led by TDP had strongly condemned the actions of the agriculture minister. TDP demanded that the chief minister immediately remove Vikekananda Reddy from the state Cabinet.

However, the minister later expressed regrets for his behaviour. The minister said he was anguished over the criticism of his brother and exceeded his brief in a fit of rage.