Escalating their standoff with the Centre, Telugu Desam Party MPs refused to leave the Rajya Sabha even after the House was adjourned for the day on Thursday. They were finally forced out by marshals.

Earlier, stressing on their demand and to mount pressure on the Centre to fulfil assurances made in the Rajya Sabha including Special Category Status and provisions of AP Reorganisation Act, TDP MPs clarified they won’t leave till the central government respond to their demands.

Despite several request by Rajya Sabha staff and marshals, the TDP MPs refused to come out of the house. Even Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien held a discussion with protesting TDP MPs.

A team of doctors was also called in for a health check-up of the protesting MPs, after their health starting deteriorating. In solidarity of the protesting Rajya Sabha MPs, the party’s Lok Sabha MPs began protests in the central hall of the parliament.

Finally, marshals entered the hall and forcibly evicted the MPs. TDP MP CM Ramesh, after being marshalled out from parliament, said,” Marshals forcefully dragged us like cattle. This is an insult to people of Andhra Pradesh. Our protests will further intensify until promises made to AP are fulfilled.”

TDP Parliamentary Party Leader YS Chowdary said, “We are fighting for 5 crore people of AP. They are not fulfilling our demands. We are staging protests in various forms to pressurise the central government. Our fight for rightful demands will continue.”

The main opposition in Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress, has already announced that its MPs would resign on the last day of Parliament and would sit on indefinite hunger strike at Andhra Bhavan to mount pressure on the Centre.

Meanwhile, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan & Left parties have decided to go on a padyatra or foot march across Andhra Pradesh on April 6th, as a protest against the betrayal of the Central government which has not fulfilled its special category status promise.