AP Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao appeals people of the state to pardon MLAs for their inappropriate behaviour in the assembly resulting wasting of time and people’s money. Citing precedents, from Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, he said, suspending YSRCP MLA R K Roja for a year resulted on the basis of gravity of her conduct in the house.

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh State Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao urged people of the state to pardon those members wasting the valuable time of the house and people’s money.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Kodela said that it “pained him to see the way thing were unfolding for the last two days in the house during the ongoing winter session of the state assembly”. Valuable time of the house has wasted and the conduct of some of the members was “unbecoming” to the dignity and decorum of the house.

The Speaker said that there were several important issues on the agenda of the business of the house. It was also agreed at an all party meeting called a day before beginning of the session that the house proceedings should function smoothly. There was enough opportunity for the members to rise the issues, either in the question hour, zero hour, or through a call attention motion during the five-day schedule of the winter session.

But, valuable time of the house is getting wasted due to the inappropriate conduct of the members of the opposition, he pointed out. Dismissing that he was partisan an allegation that the opposition has made, the Speaker said that he had given equal opportunity to the opposition on par with the ruling party.

On suspending YSRCP MLA R K Roja, the Speaker has cited precedents of MLAs suspended for two years, or more for crossing Lakshmana Rekha.
Kodela said that when the members crossed the line of making indecent remarks against the “constitutional functionaries” like leader of the house, governor and the speaker.

He said that in similar kind of incidents, members were suspended for the rest of the term which was more than two years. Apart from the Parliament, there were precedents from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab and Tamilanadu, where members of the state assemblies were given punishment, he said.

He pointed out that the kind of “unparliamentary langauge” and the “body language” of the suspended YSRCP MLA used against Chief Minister N Chandrabau Naidu was that of “threatening” and indulging in character assassination. Further, the punishment of one year is due to the “gravity” of the behaviour of the member, he added. Also, the speaker said that the decision to suspend the member was not that of his own, but of the house.

He appealed the members of all parties in the assembly to co-operate in the smooth conduct of the session, for the remaining three day’s period. He said that he has no objection to extend time of the session for few more days. But, the decision on extending the days of the session rests with the government, he added