Defections: Go To Court, Harish Rao Tells Congress

Telangana Legislative Affairs Minister T Harish Rao on Tuesday advised the Congress to approach a court if it wished to challenge the authority of the Assembly Speaker in taking a decision on the fate of the MLAs who had defected to the TRS.

Speaking in the Telangana Assembly, Harish Rao said that the political parties could make a representation to the Speaker, but could not force him to take a decision on the rebel MLAs.

He claimed that the Supreme Court had refused to intervene in the past over the Speaker deciding over disqualification petitions.

He also alleged that the Congress itself had a history of encouraging defections, from the Indira Gandhi to the Manmohan Singh regime.

Rao said that Congress members were disrupting the proceedings of the House primarily to avoid discussions on public issues. (INN)