Opposition legislators evicted from Telangana assembly

Hyderabad, Jan 4 (IANS) Police forcibly evicted opposition legislators from Telangana assembly on Wednesday as they continued their protest even after the Speaker adjourned the House till Thursday.

Security personnel removed the legislators from the assembly building in the evening and shifted them to their respective party offices.

Protesting denial of opportunity to seek clarifications after Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao's reply to the debate on fee reimbursement issue, members of main opposition Congress, the Telugu Desam Party and the Communist Party of India-Marxist remained in the House.

The opposition legislators said they would not leave till the government releases arrears of fee reimbursement.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the abrupt adjournment and termed the Chief Minister's reply as unsatisfactory, while the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), an ally of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), too found fault with the manner in which the proceedings were conducted.

It demanded the government to immediately release the arrears.

Speaker Madhusudhana Chary adjourned the House for the day after the Chief Minister replied to the debate, assuring the assembly that fee reimbursement scheme will continue. He said the government remained committed to welfare of students belonging to weaker sections of the society.

Rao asked opposition parties not to create apprehensions among students and their parents. He said there were loopholes in implementation of the scheme since its launch during the Congress rule, and when the TRS came to power, the arrears to be paid to educational institutions under the scheme stood at Rs 1,880 crore.

He claimed that during Congress rule, funds were never released on time.

He said the state required Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 crore every year for the scheme. During the current year, Rs 1,487 crore were allocated for the scheme.The Chief Minister said vigilance department was conducting a probe into irregularities in the scheme. He made it clear that the government will not spare bogus educational institutions and others indulging in irregularities.