Congress-TRS Duel Over Telangana Assembly Suspensions

Telangana Legislature Affairs Minister T Harish Rao and Leader of the Opposition K Jana Reddy traded a heated exchange over the ruckus that engulfed the winter session of Assembly on Saturday, which led to the suspension of nine Congress and two TDP members.

Expressing his anguish and protest over the manner in which the Congress members were suspended, Reddy was condoned the suspension of Congress leader Mallu Batti Vikramarka, who was suspended despite not rushing into the well of the House. He claimed that such "undemocratic" action was never taken by any Speaker or Minister in the past.

Pointing out that though there was a logjam in Parliament for 21 days in the past, not a single member was suspended, Jana Reddy said what was being witnessed in the Telangana Assembly was contrary to democratic practices. People watching the proceedings in the Assembly would only lose faith and confidence in democratic process, he opined.

The Congress leader also resented the "hasty" manner in which the Speaker had acted in sailing with the decision of the government to suspend the members.

"This sorry state of affairs in the conduct of the legislature only makes me feel that it would be better to go to the people rather than voice grievances on the floor of the legislature," he lamented, and urged the Speaker act impartially while conducting proceedings in the House.

Taking umbrage over the remarks of the Leader of the Opposition, Legislature Affairs Minister claimed that it was the Congress which was murdering democracy. Just because the Congress had succeeded in blocking a Parliament session in the past, did not mean that the Party's plan to follow the same in the Assembly would work, and the government would thwart any such attempts, he vowed.

Recalling that the TRS members were suspended during the Congress regime for just saying "Jai Telangana" in the Assembly, and Jana Reddy, as a Minister then, had remained silently, Harish Rao called the former out for his "hypocrisy". Every member was keen on having constructive deliberations on the issues concerning the people and the State, but the Congress' thinking seemed to be contrary to this, he said.