The naming of the new international airport near Hyderabad after late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi sparked heated exchanges for the second day on Wednesday in the Rajya Sabha.
Opposition National Democratic Alliance and the Telugu Desam Party members staged a walkout saying the government's decision was an 'insult' to Telugu people.
BJP member Venkaiah Naidu and several TDP members raised the issue immediately after the Question hour. They wanted the government to reverse the decision.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat said he would not allow the matter to be raised again as whatever had to be said had been debated on Tuesday.
But the unrelenting opposition members pressed for a government response. After 10 minutes of acrimony and heated exchanges, they staged a walkout.
The opposition members wanted the airport to be named after Andhra Pradesh's late chief minister N T Rama Rao. Naming it after Rajiv Gandhi would amount to hurting the 'Telugu pride', they said.
The issue also disrupted the proceedings in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, which was adjourned without transacting any business after TDP members created a furore, demanding that the airport be named after N T Rama Rao.
As soon as the assembly began its sitting at 0830 IST, Speaker K R Suresh Reddy disallowed the adjournment motion tabled by the TDP on the renaming of the airport.
Immediately, TDP members were on their feet, displaying placards
and raising slogans demanding that the airport project, for which United Progressive Alliance chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone later in the day, be named after NTR.
As the boisterous scenes continued, the Speaker adjourned the House.
After the House reassembled at 0900 IST, the Speaker asked the TDP members to give a notice under a different rule for a discussion on the issue. "We cannot continue this pandemonium for too long," the Speaker quipped. However, TDP members continued raising slogans, forcing the speaker to adjourn the House again at 0910 IST for 30 minutes.
When the House re-assembled again at 0954 IST, the TDP members continued to disrupt the proceedings. Unable to restore order, the speaker adjourned the House for the day.
With Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad
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