Telangana Assembly Speaker Suspends 24 BRS MLAs Amid Budget Session Disruption
In a dramatic turn of events at the Telangana Legislative Assembly, Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Sunday suspended 24 Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs for two days of the ongoing budget session. The suspension came after the legislators refused to take their seats, persistently shouting slogans and disrupting proceedings, which prevented the House from functioning smoothly.
Demands for Inquiry and Minister's Removal Spark Chaos
The BRS MLAs were protesting to demand either an inquiry by a House committee into alleged illegal mining activities by Raghava Constructions or the removal of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy from the cabinet. Their actions led to a stalemate, with Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu moving a motion to suspend the members for two days or for the remainder of the budget session, which is expected to conclude on Monday.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy addressed the situation, stating that the government is willing to hand over the illegal mining case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) if the BRS has doubts about the ongoing Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe. He asserted, "Action will be taken against anyone found guilty, including Ponguleti," but ruled out the minister's resignation. Revanth also accused the previous BRS government of misusing House committees to blackmail individuals, seize assets, and engineer defections, alleging that the current demand is intended to pressure the revenue minister into regularizing land parcels allegedly grabbed through misuse of the Dharani portal.
Suspended MLAs Include Prominent Leaders
Among the suspended MLAs were prominent BRS figures such as KT Rama Rao (KTR), T Harish Rao, and Sabitha Reddy. The list also included Gangula Kamalakar, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Vemula Prashant Reddy, G Jagadish Reddy, and others, totaling 24 members. Notably, BRS MLAs Ch Malla Reddy, D Sudheer Reddy, and Muta Gopal were absent during the incident and will be able to attend the remainder of the session. Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy was also absent, as he was campaigning for Congress candidates in Kerala.
Allegations and Counter-Allegations Fly
Outside the assembly, suspended BRS members described the events as a "dark day for democracy" and claimed the House had become like "Gandhi Bhavan." Harish Rao questioned the impartiality of a CID probe involving a sitting minister, arguing that it was a ploy to shield Ponguleti. He defended the BRS's demand for a House committee, citing similar demands made by Rahul Gandhi in Parliament, and emphasized the party's support for Dalits and Adivasis through schemes like Dalit Bandhu.
Revanth Reddy, however, alleged that the opposition leader, K Chandrasekhar Rao, has been avoiding assembly sessions to avoid addressing the speaker, who belongs to the Dalit community, accusing BRS of being anti-Dalit. He appealed to Harish Rao, KTR, and other members to submit any evidence to the CID, noting that a House committee would only submit a report without punitive powers.
Impact on Assembly Proceedings
The suspension highlights the intense political tensions in Telangana, with the budget session nearing its end. The government's offer of a CBI probe and the opposition's insistence on a House committee reflect deep-seated disagreements over governance and accountability. As the session concludes, the focus remains on whether further disruptions will occur and how the illegal mining allegations will be addressed moving forward.
