Disqualify Pocharam, Insists TDP

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA Payyavula Keshav on Tuesday demanded that Deputy Speaker Nadendla Manohar serve a show-cause notice to Pocharam Srinivas, who represents the Banswada constituency in the Nizamabad district, for indulging in anti-party activities during the recent Legislative Council elections.

"Srinivas should be disqualified from the House under the Anti-Defection Law," said Keshav.

Talking to mediapersons at NTR Trust Bhavan, the MLA stated that the party had submitted a petition to Nadendla Manohar, demanding Srinivas' disqualification from the House.

"Why has the Deputy Speaker not issued a show-cause notice to Pocharam Srinivas for violating the Whip issued by the TDP during the Legislative Council elections?" Keshav questioned.

Appealing to Manohar to issue the cited notice to Srinivas, the senior TDP leader said that he (Srinivas) should be disqualified as this action will send a message to other MLAs that they cannot expect to get away after indulging in anti-party activities.

Keshav also lashed out at the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders for extending open support to Srinivas who had openly defied the party diktat and indulged in anti-party activities.

The MLA from Banswada in Nizamabad district, who had earlier quit the TDP and joined the TRS, had stated that he had quit the party due to the ambivalent stand of his parent party on the Telangana issue. He had tendered his resignation from the Assembly, and had staged a sit-in dharna to press the Deputy Speaker to accept his resignation.

However, the TDP has been trying to get Srinivas disqualified from the House, presumably to use his disqualification as a weapon to discredit him. (INN)