Several legislators turn nostalgic
HYDERABAD: They felt a strong sense of deja vu as they entered the old Assembly building, situated on the premises of Assembly here on Thursday.
Almost after 28 years, those seven senior lawmakers including Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, all belonging to the TDP, were filled with nostalgia when they had begun their political career as the first-time MLAs in the Assembly of the then undivided AP.
The previous Assembly building, which is 100-year-old, had got the chance to witness its past glory exactly after 28 years when the first session of the Assembly of truncated AP began in it on Thursday.
Apart from AP chief minister Naidu, his ministerial colleagues - KE Krishnamurthy, Chintakayala Ayyannapathrudu and Yanamala Ramakrishnudu along with the party legislators Kodela Siva Prasada Rao, who is all set to become the first Speaker of the House, Pathivada Narayanaswamy Naidu, who played the role of protem Speaker on Thursday, and Gorantla Bucchaiah Chowdary- are the seven lawmakers who had the distinction of making their presence in the House even after 28 years.
Though Yanamala Ramakrishnudu is not an MLA now and is representing the Legislative Council, being a minister he has also got the opportunity to make his presence in the proceedings of the House.
The then government of united AP stopped holding Assembly sessions in the old Assembly building, which was constructed during the regime of Nizam in 1913. In 1985 a new building with state-of-the-art technology has replaced its responsibility since then.
However, the old building had been hosting the joint sessions of Assembly and Council of the then undivided AP to facilitate the Governor to address both the Houses, ever since the Upper House was restored. But, the structure never hosted a full-fledged session after 1985.
Following the bifurcation of AP, the old building was allotted to truncated AP and the new building to Telangana State Legislature.
''Without the presence of the Telangana legislators, the House appears to be not complete' said a TDP MLA from Prakasam district.
''I am still unable to believe the fact that Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated so fast. It is the conspiracy hatched by both the Congress and the BJP to weaken a powerful state like AP,' said TDP MLA and former MP Modugula Venugopala Reddy.
The first day of the session was all colourful with MLAs belonging to TDP, BJP and YSRC sporting the kanduvas of their respective party hues. Most of the TDP MLAs wore yellow shirts whereas their female counterparts wore yellow sarees.
News Posted: 19 June, 2014
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