The Telangana Rashtra Samithi members stalled the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the second day on Thursday, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for the day without transacting any business.
In Wednesday's repeat performance, all the TRS members stormed into the well of the House and surrounded the podium, soon after Speaker K R Suresh Reddy disallowed their adjournment motion for discussion and adoption of a resolution on separate Telangana state when the House assembled for the day at 8.30 am.
Raising slogans of 'jai, jai Telangana' and displaying placards demanding separate state, the TRS members refused the Speaker's repeated appeals to resume their seats. They kept shouting full-throated slogans decrying the ruling Congress for 'betraying' the Telangana cause.
Amidst the din, the Speaker adjourned the House for one hour. After the House reassembled at 10 am after one hour and 15 minutes, the TRS members remained near the podium and kept up their
protests. After his pleas went unheeded, the Speaker adjourned the Assembly for the day at 10.15 am.
Before the adjournment for the day, the Speaker convened a meeting of floor leaders of all parties in his chambers to resolve the tangle but the TRS remained adamant on its demand for a debate on the issue and adoption of a resolution favouring a separate Telangana state.
After the House was adjourned, the TRS members trooped out of the House shouting slogans and displaying placards on their demand. Wearing white T-shirts with Telangana map embossed in pink, they came out and obstructed traffic on the busy road in front of the state assembly.
Shouting slogans in favour of separate Telangana state and denouncing the Congress leaders, particularly Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, for 'betrayal' on the Telangana issue, the legislators were joined by some student activists of the party.
The Hyderabad city Police soon descended on the scene and took the agitating legislators into custody. The 17 TRS legislators were taken to the Nampally police station.
