Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders, led by KT Rama Rao (KTR) and Harish Rao, submitted a representation to Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, calling the chaotic first two days of the Monsoon Session of the Legislative Assembly a constitutional breakdown.
The letter highlighted what unfolded on Monday and Tuesday, leading to the assault on its leaders, including women legislators P Sabitha Indra Reddy and V Sunita Laxma Reddy; the arrests and subsequent suspension of MLCs Tata Madhusudhan and N Naveen Reddy; the suspension of BRS MLAs and an open death threat allegedly issued by Shadnagar MLA Veerlapally Shankar against K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), as well as the police inaction over the threat.
The letter mentions the Telangana High Court’s hearing on the assault of BRS MLAs and directing the Director General of Police (DGP) to submit a detailed report on the matter.
“Within hours of that order, the Saifabad Police registered two first information reports (FIRs), one naming 14 BRS MLAs, and another invoking the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against MLCs Tata Madhu and Naveen Reddy. They were arrested on September 8. Even as the court declined to remand them, the state government moved resolutions the same day suspending them from the Legislative Council for the rest of the Monsoon Session,” states the letter.
“The Congress government has justified the suspension of the 21 BRS MLAs separately, saying they stormed the Speaker’s podium demanding a debate on Shankar’s remarks and refused repeated requests from the Speaker and Congress ministers to return to their seats before a motion moved by Minister D Sridhar Babu was passed,” the letter reads.
The representation asks Governor Shukla to advise the Speaker and Council Chairman to reconsider the suspensions, order an FIR against erring police personnel involved in the alleged assault, preserve CCTV footage for the High Court and arrange adequate security for KCR’s residence.
Addressing reporters in front of the Governor’s residence, KTR said that the party had apologised for the remarks made by Tata Madhusudhan against Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. “Even after tendering an apology to the floor, our MLCs remain suspended,” he said.
The BRS working president said that the party will approach the National Commission for Women and the National Human Rights Commission if the Governor fails to act. “Our MLAs and MLCs are being penalised for protesting, which is a constitutional right, while more serious conduct by the ruling government goes unnoticed,” he said.
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