Viveka hits TDP member in Assembly

The ongoing disturbance in the Assembly touched a new low on Monday when Agriculture Minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy walked across the floor towards the Telugu Desam members to catch one of them, Ch. Prabhakar, by the collar and hit him.
Mr. Vivekananda Reddy was apparently incensed by the provocative slogans written on the placards held by the TDP members denouncing his brother and former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. TDP members have been displaying such placards for the past two days alleging that YSR and his coterie had alienated vast chunks of government land to private parties for pecuniary benefit.
Losing his cool, the Minister snatched and tore three placards. Pointing his finger at the TDP members, he rebuked them in unprintable language for attacking his deceased brother. When he tried to move further menacingly, he was prevented by those in the first row like G. Muddukrishnama Naidu.
Mr. Ch. Prabhakar and K.E. Prabhakar, who were in the second row behind him, objected to his unruly behaviour after which there was a scuffle between the Minister and the TD members. This signalled bedlam on the floor. Congress members G. Srikanth Reddy and others owing loyalty to Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy joined the Minister in hurling abuse at the TD members. The Minister was so overtaken by emotion that BJP floor leader G. Kishan Reddy, Ministers Syed Mohd Ahmadullah (Minorities Welfare), V. Vasanth Kumar (Tourism) and a dozen others, including MIM members, struggled for nearly 15 minutes to push him back to his seat.
Watching the high voltage drama helplessly, Deputy Speaker N. Manohar adjourned the House until after noon. When the House met in the evening, Mr. Vivekananda Reddy as well as Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy tendered an apology to the House.
Agreement
There was hectic behind-the-scenes activity within the Congress as well as the Telugu Desam Party to make the Minister apologise. Apparently, the two sides reached an agreement under which the TDP dropped its demand for sacking the Minister and the government softened further on the demand to appoint a House Committee on irregular land allotments, the issue which triggered the whole ruckus.