Andhra Pradesh Speaker Tammineni Seetharam suspended 13 legislators, including 12 from the TDP and one rebel YSRCP MLA, for disrupting the proceedings and misleading the House.

Three of the suspended MLAs, Payyavula Keshav and Nimmala Ramanaidu of TDP and rebel YSRCP MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, were suspended for the entire Budget session while the rest were suspended for the day.

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The YSRCP MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, who had brought charges of phone tapping against his own government today, walked into the Assembly with a placard alleging that the problems in his constituency Nellore (Rural) were not being resolved.

The speaker warned him not to disrupt the question hour, but he continued to stand at the staircase leading to the Speakers’ podium. Initially, the speaker announced the suspension of only two TDP MLAs after Payyavula Keshav repeatedly asked the Speaker to give him a chance to speak while the treasury benches members were speaking. However, as TDP MLAs continued to protest against the suspension the rest were also suspended for the day.

Meanwhile, in the motion of thanks to the governor’s speech chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took a potshot at Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu and said: “Only the Opposition talks about things like Microsoft, Bill Gates and the bullet train. But I remain grounded. My journey is with the common man, my journey is with the poor.”

Arguing in favour of his welfare schemes to which a large part of the governor’s speech was dedicated, Reddy said, “The state will do good only if all the regions and all groups are strengthened. This is the principle I believe in. This is my economics and the politics and history which I have learnt from my father.” The chief minister went on to claim that through direct benefit transfer his government has disbursed Rs1.97 lakh crore to beneficiaries. He also announced that the government will increase the monthly pension to Rs3000 by January, 2024 and then contest the elections.”