HYDERABAD, Nov 16: The issue of the controversial dinner attended by Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi and five state ministers in Khammam last month rocked the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on the first day of the winter session today, with Congress members stalling the House proceedings.As noisy scenes and angry exchanges were witnessed with Congress members pressing for an adjournment motion on the issue in the process disrupting the question hour for about 45 minutes, Speaker Yanamala Ramakrishnudu adjourned the House and called for a Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting to fix the agenda.The dinner where meat of endangered animal species was allegedly served has assumed political significance for the last two weeks, with the Opposition parties demanding action against the guilty and Chief Minister N Chandrababu ordering a probe into the issue.However, while the Congress and NTR-TDP members gave notice for an adjournment motion in the House, Communist Party of India (CPI) and CommunistParty of India (Marxists) (CPM) members were more interested in a debate on price rise and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was passive today, not demanding for any discussion.As soon as the House met, the Opposition members wanted to know the fate their adjournment motions. Ramakrishnudu, who disallowed their motions, told them that all the issues could be taken up once the BAC fixed the agenda.But, the Congress members continued to insist on an immediate discussion on the ground that the matter involved several ministers. The CPI and the CPM members too protested against Ramakrishnudu's ruling for a while, but resumed seats later.Later, the Congress members initially demanded a CBI probe into the dinner and later changed track seeking the dismissal of the ministers who ate the meat. ``This government seems to be shielding the ministers responsible for the killing of wild animals, instead of sending them to jail,'' Congress leader P Janardhan Reddy said.Despite wild charges and cat calls, the rulingTelugu Desam Party members remained silent. Major Irrigation Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who was stated to have organised the dinner, silently watched the pandemonium and occasionally engaged in conversation with Panchayat Raj Minister Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, who sat next to him.As the Congress members kept on shouting, Ramakrishnudu's efforts to take up the question hour did not yield results. Higher Education Minister K Pratibha Bharati, who ventured to reply to a question, could not succeed due to the din in the House.The attempts made by some Left parties to solve the impasse too did not cut any ice. While Janardhan Reddy quoted some precedents of adjournment motions taken up earlier, Ramakrishnudu maintained that no adjournment motion was allowed on the first day of the session.As per the agenda, the House was to sit for an hour to complete the question hour and adjourn for a BAC meeting. However, the prolonged disruption forced the Speaker to adjourn the House and fix an agenda for the restof the session.After the House was adjourned, Congress members went up to the main gate of the Assembly and continued shouting slogans demanding justice and CBI probe in the issue for some time.
