YSRCP and TDP MLAs came to blows in Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Monday on demand for an adjournment motion to discuss the government order (GO) curbing road shows and meetings on public roads.

The TDP accused the Treasury benches of attacking its Dalit MLA D Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy while the ruling YSRCP said it was a pre-planned attack by the TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu to put the MLA in the forefront as the Opposition MLAs went to attack the Speaker Tammineni Seetharam in order to disrupt the Assembly. The YSRCP has called statewide protests tomorrow against the TDP’s conduct in the Assembly.

As soon as the Question Hour began in the Assembly TDP MLAs shouted slogans against GO 1 and rushed towards the Speakers’ podium with placards demanding a debate on the order. As they argued with the Speaker and showered him with copies of the GO 1 YSRCP, MLAs, TJR Sudhakar Babu and VR Eliza, rushed to protect the speaker. In the ruckus between the treasury benches and Opposition MLAs Sudhakar Babu allegedly pushed away TDP MLA Swamy who had moved his placard closer to the Speaker and he fell down on the podium.

The Speaker left his podium and went to his chamber as both sides came to blows. YSRCP MLA Vellampalli Srinivas and G Butchaiah Chowdary of TDP argued heatedly as the Marshalls formed a wall between the two warring sides. The TDP MLAs then sat down to protest before they were suspended.

The YSRCP termed it a “black day” while the TDP said it was the darkest day in the history of the state’s legislative Assembly. Former chief minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu condemned the attack. “Never in the history of Andhra Pradesh has an Assembly been attacked inside the House and today is the darkest day in Assembly’s history,” said Naidu. Blaming the chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for the attack he said the latest results of MLC elections have driven the YSRCP to this attack.

The ruling party in turn has blamed Chandrababu Naidu for hatching the plan to attack the Speaker and deliberately putting the Dalit MLA D Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy at the forefront. They accused Swamy and Butchaiah Chowdary of attacking YSRCP’s Dalit MLA Sudhakar Babu and Vellampalli Srinivas. Sudhakar Babu sustained a cut in his arm. The YSRCP MLAs have urged the Speaker to refer the matter to the Privilege Committee for further action after watching the footage.