Opposition Boycotts Talasani In Telangana Council

The Congress and the TDP have decided to boycott Commercial Taxes Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav in the Telangana State Legislative Council.

TDP MLC A Narsa Reddy strongly objected when Talasani got up to reply to a question related to his department during Question Hour on Tuesday.

Reddy said that Talasani had become a minister in the state cabinet without resigning as a TDP MLA.

He was immediately joined by Congress MLCs. The Legislative Affairs Minister tried to intervene and said that the issue of Talasani's membership was not related to the council. Council Chairman Swamy Goud too tried to pacify the agitating members and said that the decision on Talasani was pending with Assembly Speaker S Madhusudan Chary.

However, the Congress members intensified their protests. Speaking on the issue, Deputy CLP leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir said that Talasani's continuance as minister in the TRS government was illegal as he had not resigned from his post as a TDP MLA. Therefore, the Congress party would boycott the proceedings whenever Talasani spoke in the House, he said, and walked out of the House along with other Congress MLCs.

The TDP MLCs too walked out of the House.

Responding to the reaction by the opposition parties, Harish Rao said the Congress and TDP leaders should introspect before accusing the TRS of encouraging defections. He alleged that as a minister in the cabinet of then Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajashekara Reddy, Shabbir Ali was instrumental in encouraging the defections of 16 TRS MLAs to the Congress.

He said that there were several examples of the TDP too luring leaders of opposition parties while in power. (INN)