YSR Congress Willing to Withdraw Motion Against Speaker

The opposition YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh today expressed willingness to withdraw the motion moved by it for the removal of Assembly Speaker K Sivaprasad Rao.

Leader of Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy stated in this regard following a request made by BJP Floor Leader P Vishnukumar Raju. BJP is an ally of the ruling TDP.

Consequently, the Speaker announced that there is no need for the House to have a special session on April 4 to take up the motion for discussion, as decided in the Assembly's Business Advisory Committee meeting yesterday.

The Budget session, which began on March 7 is scheduled to conclude today.

The YSR Congress had on March 19 moved the motion for removal of the Speaker after eight of its members were suspended from the Assembly for three days for "unruly behaviour."

Jaganmohan Reddy, who led his party members out of the House on that day, had alleged that the Speaker was not behaving in an impartial manner.

"It is very shocking and unprecedented that Speaker directly gets involved in a debate and passes a dictum to refrain the Leader of Opposition from talking on a particular subject. He has been behaving like a TDP worker and not in a manner that would uphold the dignity of the Chair," the YSR Congress chief had told reporters.

The ruling TDP has a comfortable majority in the 175-member House with 102 MLAs, while the BJP has four. YSRC, the main opposition, has 67 legislators.