Assembly Winter Session: Fluoride, Musi pollution spark heated debate between Komatireddy, Harish Rao

Hyderabad: The winter session of the Telangana Legislative Assembly continues to engage in heated arguments between the ruling Congress and the Opposition BRS on Thursday.

Initially, Minister for Roads and Buildings Komatireddy Venkat Reddy stated that the people of Nalgonda district were facing a tough time due to fluoride and pollution in River Musi during the Question Hour. He accused the previous BRS regime of ignoring the completion of the Gandamalla reservoir despite the previous Congress government completing around 70 per cent of its works.

Discussion on Gandamalla Reservoir works

“In the last decade, the previous BRS government borrowed Rs 7 lakh crore but couldn’t complete the reservoir. The Congress government will expedite the completion of reservoir works. I am appealing to the Minister for Irrigation N Uttam Kumar Reddy to give top priority to the completion of the reservoir and protect over 40 lakh people in Nalgonda district.”

Interrupting Komatireddy’s speech, BRS Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao asked Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar not to allow discussions between ministers during the Question Hour as Cabinet decision means collective decision. He asked the Speaker not to bring a new culture into the House.

Harish Rao also said that Komatireddy was a minister in the previous Congress government, and during his tenure, Musi became a cesspool. The situation would not have happened if they had done so right before the formation of the State. “If the people of Nalgonda district are suffering today due to Musi, the main culprit is the Congress party. The BRS party completed the SRSP stage-II works and provided Kaleshwaram water to the people of Nalgonda district, Suryapet, Tungaturthi and Kodada.

“A discussion should be conducted about what the Congress party has done so far. Every day, Question Hour is confined to discussing just three or four questions whereas the ministers should answer each and every question,” the BRS MLA said.

Is Harish Rao a deputy leader or an MLA?

Komatireddy Venkat Reddy questioned Harish Rao’s authority to raise certain issues in the Assembly. “The BRS party has no Legislative Party leader. Is Harish Rao a deputy leader or an MLA? In what capacity is he speaking during the Question Hour?" questioned Komatireddy. He also demanded to know the whereabouts of Opposition Leader K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR). The minister further asserted that Harish Rao had no right to discuss matters related to Nalgonda or himself.