Actor Roja`s suspension rocks Andhra assembly

Hyderabad, Dec 19 The suspension of a woman member of YSR Congress Party from Andhra Pradesh assembly for a year rocked the house on Saturday, with the opposition party stalling the proceedings.

Speaker K. Sivaparasad Rao had to adjourn the house twice since morning as YSRCP raised astrong protest over the suspension of R.K. Roja and demanded that it be immediately revoked.

Roja was suspended from house for one year on Thursday for allegedly making unparliamentary remarks against Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu during a heated debate on call money racket.

The actress-turned-politician was on Friday stopped from entering the assembly premises. Marshals and women police personnel stopped her and asked her to leave. She had heated argument with officers.

The security personnel forcibly evicted and shifted her to Nampally police station but during the process she fainted due to falling sugar level. She was subsequently shifted to Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS).

Strongly lodging his protest in the house, leader of opposition Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy said the ruling party was responsible for Roja's condition. Stating that this will set a wrong precedent, YSRCP chief said the speaker has no right to suspend a member for one year without referring the issue to ethics committee.

The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), however, ruled out revoking the suspension. Legislative Affairs Minister Y. Ramakrishnudu said the house was supreme over all rules and regulations.

The minister said if the opposition members want to get suspended from the house, he would be happy to move a resolution.

Amid pandemonium, the government tabled five bills in the house. Raising slogans against the government, the YSRCP members surrounded the speaker's podium.

Earlier, a member of BJP, which is sharing power with the TDP, found fault with the move to suspend Roja for one year. Vishnukumrar Raju termed the suspension for one year as unfortunate and said this should have been confined to the current session. He said if ruling party takes such decisions, there will be no opposition in the house.

YSRCP is the only opposition party in the assembly.