Damage control by Congress pays off

big trouble:TDP legislator V. Jogeswara Rao showing a placard which was torn by Agriculture Minister Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy inside the Legislative Assembly in Hyderabad on Monday. —

HYDERABAD: Agriculture Minister Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy and Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed regret over the developments that rocked the Assembly on Monday resulting in a scuffle between the Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members on the floor of the House.
Described as a “dark day” by political parties, the unruly incidents in the House forced adjournment of the proceedings close to seven hours. The issue, however, subsided after the Congress leaders went into damage control mode and yielded some ground to the TDP which had been insisting on the constitution of a joint legislature committee to go into land allocations since 2004.
Turns emotional
Mr. Vivekananda Reddy said he became emotional as TDP members were levelling personal allegations against his ‘god-like brother' Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. “Take up any probe into my brother's policies but don't call him a thief and the Congress a band of looters. I could not tolerate this,” he said. The Minister said his relationship with Rajasekhara Reddy was akin to that of Rama's younger brother, Lakshmana, and now “I am like Lakshmana without Rama.” The Chief Minister too sought an apology from the House on behalf of the government. Such situations arise when members resort to personal allegations and mud-slinging, he said, asserting that he and the Congress were not prepared to tolerate any criticism of YSR.
The statements came after Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy's hectic parleys with senior colleagues as the Opposition announced its resolve to compromise for nothing short of dismissal of the Minister. Even as Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar called a meeting of floor leaders more than once to pacify the agitated members, the Chief Minister sent his emissaries, D. Sridhar Babu and Government Chief Whip Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka to ‘convince' Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Naidu softens stand
The move initially appeared to have boomeranged as the TDP leaders announced their resolve against attending the Assembly if the Minister was not sacked forthwith. But Mr. Naidu who held consultations with senior leaders softened his party's stand later which was evident from the fact that the TDP did not insist on the Minister's dismissal, in the House.
Sources said that the change in the main Opposition's stand follows the willingness expressed by Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy to tender an apology to the House and to partially concede the demand for an inquiry by a House Committee into land deals after a debate on the issue.
Mr. Sridhar Babu and Mr. Vikramarka are learnt to have conveyed the Chief Minister's decision to Mr. Naidu, thus breaking the deadlock.