Opposition parties boycott Telangana assembly

Barring the BJP, opposition parties on Thursday boycotted the Telangana assembly to protest against the manner in which the new Land Acquisition Bill was passed in the House on Wednesday.

A day after the state assembly passed the controversial bill amid chaos, the main opposition Congress party, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) stayed away from the proceedings.

They wrote separate letters to Speaker Madhusudhana Chary, taking exception to the manner in which the proceedings were conducted on Wednesday.

The opposition parties said they were not given an opportunity to express their views on the bill.

The assembly passed the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Telangana Amend) Act 2016 by a voice vote even as the opposition contended that the state can't amend the Act made by the Centre.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government argued that the bill was brought to speed up the process of land acquisition for various projects. It pointed out that some states have already enacted their own legislation for land acquisition.

Legislative Affairs Minister Harish Rao criticised the opposition for boycotting the assembly.

Speaking in the House, he said the opposition had no issue to raise as the session was being conducted in a smooth manner with the government addressing all the issues raised.

Harish Rao said during the current session the House discussed various issues for 54 hours. He said Congress party members were given 12.36 hours to speak.

--IANS

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