Soon after the maiden session of the 16th Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly commenced on Friday with the swearing-in of the newly-elected MLAs, members of the AIADMK in the Tamil Nadu Assembly were evicted enmasse after the opposition attempted to raise an issue during Question Hour. However, the Speaker quickly withheld the ruling after Chief Minister M K Stalin appealed.
Leader of Opposition K Palaniswami had previously stated that the party wished to discuss the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, which resulted in ’50 deaths’, but permission was denied. He criticised the expulsion as a ‘murder of democracy’.
Speaker M Appavu explained that AIADMK members sought to raise an issue during the Question Hour, contravening House regulations. He clarified that matters could only be raised during the Zero Hour after the Question Hour concluded.
Due to the AIADMK members persisting with their demand, the Speaker ordered their removal and declared that opposition party legislators could not participate for the remainder of the day’s proceedings. Speaking to the press outside the House, Palaniswami said he wanted to highlight the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, in which he claimed ’50 individuals’ had lost their lives.
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Subsequently, CM Stalin appealed to the Speaker to allow the main opposition members to rejoin the session, a request Appavu granted. He instructed the AIADMK MLAs to return.
Earlier, opposition party MLAs, including Palaniswami, attended the Assembly dressed in black shirts. The session started at 9.45 am in the Assembly Hall at Velagapudi, Amravati. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu attended after more than two and a half years.
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Actor-politician and Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan entered the House for the first time in his 16-year political career as Pithapuram MLA and Deputy Chief Minister.
According to TDP sources, senior party leader and Narsipatnam MLA C. Ayyannapatrudu is likely to be elected as Speaker. CM and Kuppam MLA Chandrababu Naidu was the first to take oath, followed by Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan. After taking oath, Naidu went to the Pro-tem Speaker’s chair and exchanged pleasantries. The NDA alliance won 164 seats in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, out of the 175-member House.