VIJAYAWADA: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLAs disrupted the proceedings on Thursday, March 16, as soon as Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy began presenting the Budget for FY 2023–2024.
Despite Rajendranath Reddy's opening remarks that the State had been going through difficult times for more than four years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, K. Atchannaidu, Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, and others yelled that the Budget was a pointless exercise because the State was in debt and the government could not even make timely payment of salaries to its employees.
The TDP MLAs came with a plan to cause a commotion, unable to accept the government's performance, said Chief Minister Y S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who entered the Assembly a little while earlier.
Thus, he said, the opposition MLAs should be pushed out to make room for the introduction of the budget, which was highly anticipated by the public. Seetharam said the Telugu Desam Party MLAs had the freedom to leave if they are not in the mood to listen to the FM or be sent out as they filed into the House well and threw papers towards the Speaker's podium.
The TDP MLAs, he said, might speak about the budget either during the planned discussion or in front of the media. After a motion to that effect was formally passed by Rajendranath Reddy, who is also the Minister for Legislative Affairs, the Speaker then suspended the TDP MLAs. Once marshals entered to evacuate them, the opposition MLAs left on their own.
Resuming his remarks, Rajendranath Reddy said that the Opposition's attempt to obstruct the Budget presentation was unprecedented and that they should be expelled.
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