Hyderabad: Eight YSRC MLAs were suspended for three days from the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Thursday after the government and the Opposition clashed over what the YSRC alleged as gagging their leader’s voice.

While Leader of the Opposition Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was presenting his views on the Budget, ministers Devineni Umamaheswara Rao and Kinjarapu Atchennaidu, confronted him, alleging that he was distorting figures.

When Mr Reddy accused the government of trying to hoodwink the people and backstabbing the farmers, Mr Atchennaidu said, “Back-stabbing is the nature of Mr Jagan Reddy who tried to grab power at the time of his father’s demise.”

Unfazed, Mr Reddy continued his speech, but the Speaker asked him to end the speech as time was running out.

Mr Reddy objected and said, “You gave a chance to the CM to speak for two hours twice. You allow any number of interruptions to my speech from the ruling party. Why this discrimination?” But the Speaker insisted that Mr Reddy conclude and the latter said he would not.

“You cannot speak like that,” the Speaker said, and cut off Mr Reddy’s mike. YSRC members rushed to the podium, shouting slogans against the Speaker. They raised slogans, cut the mike, turned off the camera, and tore up copies of the Budget speech and threw them in the air, accusing the Speaker of acting at the behest of the CM.

Finance minister Y. Ramakrishnudu moved a motion of suspension of eight YSRC MLAs — G. Srikanth Reddy, Kodali Nani, Ch Jaggi Reddy, Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, Siva Prasad Reddy, Chand Basha, Chevi Reddy Bhaskar Reddy and Mutyala Naidu — following which the Speaker suspended them.

As the YSRC MLAs refused to leave, marshalls were called in to evict them forcibly. The suspended MLAs entered into a confrontation with Assembly secretary Satyanarayana Rao and tried to block the marshalls.

After 20 minutes of bedlam, members returned to their seats. When TD ministers demanded an apology, more chaos followed. Finally, Mr Reddy walked out of the Assembly, followed by the YSRC MLAs.