Two Congress MLAs were expelled, and 11 others suspended from the Telangana state assembly for the rest of the budget session on Tuesday for allegedly raising a ruckus in the House the previous day.
Nalgonda MLA Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Alampur MLA SA Sampath Kumar (both belonging to the Congress) have been terminated from membership of the current assembly, the first after the formation of Telangana in 2014. Legislative affairs minister Harish Rao said the vacancies arising out of the expulsion were notified to the Election Commission of India, so by-elections could be conducted at an appropriate time.
The Congress MLAs were protesting against the K Chandrashekar Rao-led Telangana government’s “indifferent attitude” towards rising farmer suicides in the state. Reddy had allegedly hurled his headphones at the podium while governor ESL Narasimhan was addressing a joint session of the assembly and council, injuring legislative council chairman K Swamy Goud in the eye. Kumar, on the other hand, was accused of abetting his colleague’s intended attack on the governor.
Assembly speaker S Madhusudhana Chary announced that the assembly membership of Reddy and Kumar stands cancelled after minister for legislative affairs T Harish Rao moved a motion in this regard at the start of the second day’s session. The 11 suspended Congress members included K Jana Reddy, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, J Geetha Reddy, DK Aruna, Madhava Reddy, Ramamohan Reddy, Bhatti Vikramarka, Chinna Reddy, Vamsichand Reddy and Jeevan Reddy.
{{/usCountry}}Assembly speaker S Madhusudhana Chary announced that the assembly membership of Reddy and Kumar stands cancelled after minister for legislative affairs T Harish Rao moved a motion in this regard at the start of the second day’s session. The 11 suspended Congress members included K Jana Reddy, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, J Geetha Reddy, DK Aruna, Madhava Reddy, Ramamohan Reddy, Bhatti Vikramarka, Chinna Reddy, Vamsichand Reddy and Jeevan Reddy.
{{/usCountry}}While the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi supported the action taken against the Congress members, BJP floor leader G Kishen Reddy objected to the suspension of some members like Jana Reddy. He felt that the speaker should have consulted all the parties concerned before taking the action.
Meanwhile, six Congress members – Shabbir Ali, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, Akula Lalitha, Damodar Reddy, P Sudhakar Reddy and Santosh – were suspended from the current session of the legislative council too. Deputy chief minister Kadiyam Srihari moved the suspension motion after gaining House approval, and deputy chairman N Vidyasagar announced the order.
Later, the MLAs and MLCs concerned staged a dharna at the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the assembly premises to protest the government’s unilateral decision to suspend them without allowing them to present their version of the story. The two expelled members went on to launch a 48-hour-long fast at Gandhi Bhavan, the Congress headquarters in Hyderabad, even as hundreds of party leaders and cadre extended their support.