50 TDP MLAs stay put in Assembly,demand debate on power crisis

About 50 MLAs, including nine women, belonging to the main Opposition Telugu Desam Party are continuing their protest inside the Andhra Pradesh Assembly demanding that the government discuss the grave power crisis in the House on a priority basis.
The MLAs ignored pleas by the government and stayed put inside the House since 12.15 pm, when today's proceedings were adjourned for the day without transacting any business and asserted that they would continue the protest till the House proceedings begin tomorrow morning.
They accused the government of running away from a debate on the unprecedented electricity crisis gripping the state.

Earlier in the day, the TDP legislators stormed the Speaker's podium demanding that the government discuss the power situation.
As the Telangana Rashtra Samiti members too were in the Well of the House deploring the police action on statehood seekers yesterday, the Assembly could not transact any business.
After Speaker Nadendla Manohar adjourned the proceedings for the day amidst the din, the TDP legislators stayed back in the House demanding a firm assurance from the government and the Speaker that a discussion on power situation would be taken up tomorrow.

Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu spoke to the protesting opposition MLAs and sought to assure them that a discussion on power would indeed be taken up in the House.

However, finding that the promised debate was listed as item No 5 in the day's business tomorrow, they refused to come out of the Assembly.
The Speaker too tried to convince the TDP on the issue and sent a word through Legislature Secretary Raja Sadaram, but to no avail.
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who was not attending the session as he was away on his foot march in East Godavari district, spoke to his party colleagues over phone and reportedly told them not to give up.
As the TDP MLAs stayed put in the House, a large police force had been deployed on the Assembly premises.

"The government is trying to scuttle our agitation using police force," senior MLA Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy alleged.
He asserted that they would not withdraw the agitation till the power problem was discussed in the Assembly.
"More than 30,000 industrial units have shut down because of power shortage, throwing lakhs of workers on roads. The government has totally failed to overcome the crisis," another TDP legislator A Revanth Reddy said.