Nine TDP MLAs suspended from Andhra Assembly

Amaravati, Dec 17 (IANS) Nine members of opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) were suspended for one day from Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday for stalling the proceedings of the House.

Speaker Tammineni Seetharam suspended the TDP legislators after Minister for Finance and Legislative Affairs Buggana Rajendranath moved a resolution to this effect.

As the suspended members refused to leave the House, they were bodily lifted and taken out by the marshals on the direction of the Speaker.

The opposition legislators were staging protest over certain allegations made by Finance Minister while replying to debate on state capital Amaravati.

Rajendranath alleged that the previous TDP government had turned Amaravati into real estate development business with many leaders of the then ruling party benefiting from it.

The minister alleged that the TDP leaders resorted to insider trading by buying prime lands in and around Amaravati at throwaway prices before announcing the location of the new state capital.

He claimed that investigations carried out after YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) came to power revealed that over 4000 acres of land were bought by TDP leaders in 'benami'. He said Heritage Foods, a family firm of TDP President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, was also a beneficiary.

Earlier, there were heated exchanges between the ruling and opposition parties over Amaravati. Leader of Opposition Chandrababu Naidu slammed the government for killing Amaravati by creating confusion and driving away the investors.