YSRC leaders stage sit-in as MLA Roja denied entry in Assembly

High drama was witnessed on the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly premises here today as Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy entered into an argument with security staff which denied entry to YSR Congress MLA R K Roja citing the Speaker's order. The YSRC legislators staged a sit-in demanding that Roja, who was suspended for a year during the winter session of the AP Assembly in December last year, be permitted to enter the Assembly in accordance with the interim order issued by High Court Justice A Ramalingeswara Rao here yesterday. Assembly Chief Marshal Ganesh, however, told the YSRC leaders that Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao directed them not to allow Roja into the House. Jagan then entered into a verbal duel demanding that the Chief Marshal show the Speaker's order and displayed the order of the High Court judge. Roja tried to enter the Assembly through Gate 2 along with her lawyer but the police prevented them. Jagan then tried to take the lawyer inside in his car but he too was blocked saying lawyers were not permitted. "I have my right to take anybody inside. They can come to my chamber. I will send my pass," Jagan told the police officials. The opposition MLAs then staged a sit-in on the Assembly premises protesting the Speaker's decision to prevent Roja's entry into the House. "This amounts to contempt of the court," they said. The single judge of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad issued an interim order yesterday suspending the proceedings of the Assembly wherein Roja was suspended from the House for a year for using unparliamentary and abusive language against certain ruling TDP members, including Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, during the winter session in December last. The state government has said the single judge's order will be challenged before a division bench of the High Court.