Andhra Pradesh speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao today appointed a committee to look into one-year suspension of YSRC member R K Roja along with the leakage of video footage of Assembly proceedings on December 18. Deputy speaker M Buddha Prasad is the chairman of the committee. Three representatives from the three parties that have representation in the house would be members, the speaker announced.

The committee, besides examining how the Assembly footage found its way into the social media , would study if the one-year suspension of YSRCP member RK Roja from the House was as per the rule, in the backdrop of charges being made by YSRCP. ” Whether the one-year suspension was sufficient or insufficient or beyond the purview of the speaker will be looked into by the committee,” Speaker said addressing a press conference this afternoon.

kodela addressed the media in the light of the Opposition YSRCP notice of no-confidence motion against the speaker, yesterday. “Leaking of the footage is unfortunate” he admitted. Stating that this might not have been leaked from his office, the speaker said somebody might have used either a mobile phone camera or iPad to to record it and pass on to the media.” Still, this is a matter to be probed,” he said.

Elaborating on the matters the committee would possibly touch upon, he said, the Opposition said the one year suspension was beyond the powers of the speaker and against the rules of the House. Stating that he doesn’t want to comment on the charges leveled by the Opposition party, the speaker said, the committee would look into this aspect and report to the House.

“The committee submits its report before the next session. And the report will be examined by the privileges committee, which later submits a final report,”the speaker said.
The committee would question the websites which carried the unauthorized clipping related to the proceedings of the house about the source of the footage, he said.