4 opposition parties petition AP governor to dismiss CM

Members of four opposition parties -- Telugu Desam, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Communist Party of India-Marxist and Bharatiya Janata Party -- on Tuesday petitioned Andhra Pradesh Governor Rameshwar Thakur to dismiss Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and order his prosecution for violation of land-related laws.

After they were suspended from the State Assembly for disrupting the Question Hour, 46 opposition members, led by Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu, took out a rally from the Assembly premises to the state Raj Bhavan.

They handed over a memorandum to the Governor's Secretary M G Gopal (as the governor was not available) and returned back to the Assembly. Floor leaders G Vijayarama Rao (TRS), Nomula Narasimhaiah (CPI-M) and G Kishen Reddy (BJP) were among those who participated in the 'Chalo Raj Bhavan' rally.

In the memorandum, the opposition parties alleged that the chief minister and his family, who surrendered 310 acres of excess lands in their possession to the government recently, had violated the land-related laws, including AP Assigned Lands (Prohibition of Transfer) Act 1977, AP Land Reforms (Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings) Act 1973, AP Land Encroachment Act 1905, AP Forest Act 1967, AP Panchayat Raj Act 1994, AP Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act 1976, AP Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act 1982, and AP Endowments Act 1987.

These parties sought grant of sanction for prosecution of Dr Rajasekhar Reddy and his relatives for contravention of provisions of these acts for which punishment varies between six months to five years of imprisonment along with fine.

They also urged the governor to take appropriate action for dismissal of Dr Rajasekhar Reddy as he has refused to quit the chief minister's post owning responsibility for contravening the land-related laws for 30 years, despite holding elected and other important posts as legislator, member of Parliament, Leader of Opposition, AP Congress Committee president etc.

Earlier, as soon as the day's sitting began, Speaker K R Suresh Reddy disallowed the adjournment motions, including those given by these four parties on the chief minister's land issue. TDP, TRS, CPI-M and BJP members rushed towards the speaker's podium, raising slogans and displaying placards demanding the chief minister's resignation.

The speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes when the members refused to heed his repeated pleas to go back to their seats.

When the House re-assembled, the opposition members continued to disrupt the proceedings. Thereupon, the speaker asked Legislative Affairs and Finance Minister K Rosaiah to move the motion for the suspension of these members, including the floor leaders, for the duration of the Question Hour on Tuesday.

After the motion was adopted, marshals were called in to evict the suspended members who staged a dharna in the Assembly lobbies.

Coming out of the Assembly, these members marched to Raj Bhavan, a distance of 2 km, in 45 minutes.

They returned back to the House in time to participate in the discussion on the implementation of GOMs 610, which provides for repatriation of non-local government employees working in Telangana region to their native regions.