Hyderabad: MLAs of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Wednesday, February 14, staged a protest outside the Telangana Assembly against the Congress government’s attempt to “stifle their voices by not letting them speak inside the house and outside at the Assembly’s media point.”
BRS senior leader T Harish Rao shared a video of the heated interaction between him and his fellow party MLAs K T Rama Rao (KTR), Kadiyam Srihari, Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, others, and the security officials over the issue of access to the now barricaded media point.
While the BRS MLAs questioned the reasons behind why the media point was blocked, security officials replied that orders were given to them to not allow access when the Assembly sessions are underway.
In response to that, BRS MLAs asked for official orders in writing regarding the rule and sat on a protest at the media point’s barricades against the Congress government.
They also raised slogans against the “rule of fences and police state” under the Congress rule.
“Congress MLAs held press conferences in the last 10 years here during Assembly sessions. We were not given written orders over this new rule. Is this censorship?” they asked.
“Is this Praja palana? Congress government is killing democracy. Is it democratic to block BRS MLAs who are going to speak at the assembly media point? There is no rule that MLAs should not speak at the media point while the Assembly is in progress. This is a conspiracy by the ruling party to silence the opposition. They don’t give a chance to speak inside the assembly. Now won’t they permit to talk to the media outside the Assembly too?” Harish Rao asked.
Debate on Budget, Irrigation projects
Before this, former deputy chief minister and BRS MLA Kadiyam Srihari took the lead in the House in critiquing the vote on account budget tabled in the Assembly by the ruling Congress.
To the ‘Indiramma rajyam‘ promise in the Budget by finance minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Srihari cited the Emergency period under the former PM’s regime, which, evoked responses from ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and D Sridhar Babu.
The debate got heated when Srihari questioned Congress’ “wrongful claims” against the Kaleshwaram project. He said that while the project helped in irrigating agricultural lands massively in the state, Congress is trying to wrongfully “magnify” the Medigadda pillars’ sinkage row.
Minister Ponnam Prabhakar took the mic and questioned the BRS’ track record in Irrigation projects.
“…. It’s wrong of the BRS to state that Irrigation improved massively under their regime. Even in erstwhile AP, Karimnagar competed with the Godavari districts in paddy production. The Lower Manair dam was built when I was young. Why couldn’t the BRS complete the Gouravelli project?” he questioned.
Ponnam vs KTR
A commotion took place during Ponnam’s speech as the BRS MLAs retorted to Ponnam’s speech. Ponnam alleged that KTR asked him to stop speaking and sit down. “I am not a farm labourer to sit if you ask me to. They (BRS MLAs) are threatening me,” he remarked.
He also targetted Huzurabad MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy for for the commotion and slammed his Assembly election campaign video threatening suicide with his family including his 12-year-old daughter if he was not voted to power.
“Such blackmailers should not be speaking here,” he added.
The Speaker, Gaddam Prasad also objected to KTR’s remarks against minister Ponnam Prabhakar. “Please avoid such running commentary,” he added.
Objecting to KTR’s remarks, Congress Munugode MLA K Rajagopal Reddy remarked that the behaviour of the BRS leaders “hasn’t changed even after losing out on power.”
“KTR arrogantly told our minister from marginalised sections (Ponnam) to sit down. People voted them out due to this feudal mentality. But they haven’t learned their lessons,” he said.
Rajgopal Reddy vs Kadiyam Srihari
The debate on the Budget continued to go down the path of personal remarks against each other as Rajgopal Reddy targetted Srihari over his previous remarks on the chances of the Munugode MLA becoming a minister.
“Kadiyam Srihari deceived Telangana movement activist Rajaiah of his district by pulling him down unceremoniously from the deputy chief minister post. He also made sure that he didn’t get the BRS ticket in the Assembly polls. Forget my ministerial ship, you will never be a minister in BRS,” he remarked.
KTR while clarifying his respect for Ponnam Prabhakar, also condemned Rajgopal’s remarks against Srihari. “The Speaker must remove his remarks against a senior Dalit leader like Srihari,” he added.
‘Language’ debate
The Congress and the BRS continued to exchange barbs blaming each other over the use of ‘objectionable’ language inside the House.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed serious reservations over BRS chief and former chief minister’s remarks during his ‘Chalo Nalgonda‘ meeting on Tuesday, February 14 targetting him and the Congress government over their visit to the Medigadda barrage.
Specifically, he condemned KCR’s “Kaleshwaram peekaniki poyinara?” phrase against the Congress government and challenged him to come to the Assembly for a debate over the Kaleshwaram project.
“Should we debate on KCR’s language in Nalgonda yesterday? We are ready for a debate on Kaleshwaram and Godavari waters. We are ready to allocate time until tomorrow in the evening. KCR must come to the Assembly and participate in the debate,” he said.
To KCR’s “Will you kill me?” remark from Nalgonda’s speech, Revanth asked “if there is a need to kill a dead snake,” adding that “KCR ran away and is hiding in his farmhouse.”
Revanth also criticised the ‘objectionable’ remarks made against him by the former chief minister at Nalgonda.
“What kind of language did KCR use?…. The people dragged KCR’s pants down in the Assembly polls. Next, they will pull off his shirt as well. He is abusing the chief minister by not attending the Assembly sessions. He is speaking as if our newly elected government committed all the wrongs. Rs 94000 crores spent on the project went to waste,” he said, firing at the BRS chief.
Kadiyam Srihari slams Revanth
Objecting to the chief minister’s remarks, senior MLA Kadiyam Srihari said, “Revanth, as the chief minister should not resort to such language in the Assembly. He should respect the chair of the chief minister.”
“We are ready for a debate on Kaleshwaram and Godavari waters if and when the state government issues a White Paper on the subject,” he added.
BRS MLAs criticize Revanth’s remarks
BRS MLAs expressed anger over Revanth’s remarks. Senior MLA Kadiyam Srihari said, “Revanth, as the chief minister, must not speak in such a manner in the Assembly House.”
The BRS MLAs demanded that the “objectionable” remarks of the ruling party MLAs must be removed from the Assembly records and staged a walkout as a sign of protest.
Debate over quorum
Members of the ruling Congress party and the principal opposition BRS in the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Wednesday also engaged in an argument over quorum.
As soon as the House met for the day, BRS MLAs raised the issue. They drew the attention of Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to lack of quorum.
BRS leader and former minister T. Harish Rao alleged that the government failed to maintain the quorum for debate on Budget.
Another BRS MLA Kadiam Srihari recalled that in the past legislative affairs ministers used to make phone calls to the MLAs to ensure quorum during important business.
Legislative affairs minister D. Sridhar Babu disputed the BRS claim that there was no quorum. He mentioned that as the Assembly has a strength of 119 members, 10 per cent or only 12 members make up the quorum.
He claimed that 18 members were present when the Speaker commenced the proceedings. The minister said BRS was trying to send a wrong message outside the House by claiming lack of quorum.
Sridhar Babu mentioned that Harish Rao had also served as legislative affairs minister in the past and despite all the knowledge he was trying to make a wrong claim.
Kadiam Srihari, who initiated the debate on Vote-on-Account Budget for 2024-25, mentioned about the absence of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka during the debate on the Budget.
The BRS member also requested the Speaker to start the session at 10 a.m. He said the House was not meeting till 10:05 or 10:10 a.m., which is not proper. He said the Assembly proceedings should start at the scheduled time.
