Raise public issues in Assembly, not on roads: Speaker

Assembly Speaker Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu on Friday said it was unfortunate that some elected representatives were trying to mislead people by raising issues on the roads instead of in the Assembly. If they were genuinely interested in resolving public grievances, they should raise their voice on the floor of the House, he said.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the staging of a play on Mandali Venkata Krishna Rao, writer and former Member of Parliament, organised by the Writers Academy as part of the birth centenary celebrations at Kalabharathi here on Friday evening.

Mr. Ayyanna Patrudu questioned how salaries could be paid to MLAs, who are elected by the people, if they fail to attend the Assembly, when the salaries of employees and workers are cut for abstaining from duty. He said the no work, no wage principle should be applied to legislators as well.

The Speaker also remarked that this could be his last opportunity in politics as he was already in his 70s. He observed that people like him, who are soft natured, were unsuitable for present day politics. He also spoke about the greatness of the Telugu language and the contribution of Mandali Venkata Krishna Rao to literature and public life.

MLA Mandali Venkata Buddha Prasad, Writers Academy chairman V.V. Ramana Murthy, member Meda Mastan Reddy, former Vice Chancellor of Acharya Nagarjuna University V. Bala Mohan Das and chairman of Pydah Educational Institutions Pydah Krishna Prasad were among those who participated in the programme.