Special status: Ousted from LS Speaker's office, TDP continues protest

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislators on Friday continued with their protests for special category status for Andhra Pradesh inside the Parliament premises even after being marshalled out from the office of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

The party's MPs, including those from the Rajya Sabha, held the protests inside Mahajan's chamber as the party's no-confidence notice against the government was not taken up for discussion.

The House was adjourned sine die in regard to granting of special status to the southern state.

Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to convene a special parliament session to review the provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 and assurances made in Rajya Sabha including Special Category Status and to fulfil at the earliest.

On March 16, the ruling TDP reached a deadlock with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over this issue and ultimately quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition. Since then, the TDP MPs have regularly staged protests in the Parliament demanding Special Category Status.