Hyderabad: Telangana Assembly Speaker, Gaddam Prasad Kumar, on Wednesday suspended Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislators from the House for the remainder of the Monsoon Session for disrupting the proceedings.
The Speaker announced the suspension of MLAs after Minister for Legislative Affairs, D. Sridhar Babu, moved a motion.
All 21 BRS members present in the House were suspended. They included BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao and the party’s Deputy Leader in Assembly T. Harish Rao.
The members of the main Opposition party were suspended after they continued their protest, demanding a debate on the alleged manhandling of its women MLAs by police at the Assembly entrance on Monday.
The BRS had moved an adjournment motion seeking discussion on police high-handedness against women MLAs, at a rally in the presence of police outside K.T. Rama Rao’s residence, alleged threats from Congress MLAs and the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
As soon as the House met for the day, the BRS members demanded the Speaker to take up debate on their adjournment motion. The Speaker rejected the adjournment motion and suggested that BRS members raise the issue in another form.
The BRS members raised slogans of “We want justice” and trooped into the Well of the House.
Amid the din, minister Adluri Laxman raised the issue of alleged purification rituals performed by BRS leaders at a place in Siddipet where Dalits had staged a protest, condemning derogatory and abusive remarks made by BRS MLCs against Speaker Prasad Kumar.
The minister said the matter should be discussed in the House as it relates to the self-respect of Telangana and highlights the continued discrimination against Dalits.
Deputy Chief Minister, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, supported the minister’s demand and displayed pictures of BRS functionaries performing purification rituals.
He expressed his ire at the BRS over their protest in the Well of the House. “What justice do you want after insulting the honourable Speaker,” asked the Deputy Chief Minister.
The Deputy CM also accused BRS leaders of intimidating the Speaker and warned them that this would not be tolerated.
The Speaker, Deputy CM and minister Sridhar Babu made repeated appeals to BRS members to resume their seats and allow the House to function in a smooth manner.
As the BRS MLAs continued their protest, Sridhar Babu moved a motion for suspending them for the remainder of the session.
(IANS)
