Andhra Pradesh

Tale of Andhra Assembly furniture and Ex-Speaker : Theft, search, heart attack

The tale of the Andhra Pradesh assembly furniture is turning out be a more riveting script than a Telugu action potboiler. After former Speaker Kodela Sivaprasad Rao admitted that some furniture items, computers and air conditioners were diverted to his office-cum-residence at Sattenapalli in Guntur district in March 2017 while they were transported from Hyderabad to Amaravati, the Andhra Pradesh assembly has gone into overdrive. It began by suspending V Ganesh Babu, the Chief Marshall of the Assembly. 

Then a team of assembly officials searched a motorbike showroom belonging to Rao’s son Kodela Sivaram. Though Rao’s lawyer objected to the search, local media reports say the officials identified 32 chairs, four sofas and three tables as belonging to the Assembly. The furniture was seized

Also read : Why YSRCP dislikes Kodela Sivaprasad Rao

This search operation came close on the heels of the drama that unfolded at the Rao residence the previous night. Two thieves reportedly entered the Rao household posing as electricians and fled with two computers that actually belonged to the Assembly Secretariat. When the securityman gave them a chase, they dropped the monitors outside the house. 

While Rao alleged that the YSR Congress party had sent thieves to steal the computers from his house, the ruling party claimed the former Speaker had cooked up the story to divert attention from his mistakes. 

Earlier Andhra Pradesh Agriculture minister K Kannababu had accused Sivaprasad Rao of “theft” because he was clandestinely using items belonging to the Assembly for private use. Rao had claimed that after his defeat in the elections, he had written to the Assembly Secretary informing them about the items. When the missing items came to light, Rao once again offered to return them or pay for them.

Late on Friday, Sivaprasad Rao was admitted to Lakshmi Super Speciality Hospital in Guntur, reportedly after a heart attack. 

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