BRS boycotts Telangana Assembly, alleges Speaker bias and undemocratic conduct by CM Revanth
Former minister Harish Rao said that Opposition members were prevented from questioning the government during Question Hour
By - Sistla Dakshina Murthy
Telangana Legislative Assembly (File Photo)
Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Friday announced a complete boycott of the ongoing Telangana Assembly session, alleging partisan conduct by the Speaker and ‘undemocratic, offensive’ behaviour by the Congress government.
The decision was announced after BRS legislators staged a walkout from the House and held a protest at Gun Park.
Addressing the media, former minister T Harish Rao launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, accusing him of insulting democratic institutions and silencing the Opposition inside the Assembly.
‘BRS legislators made to wait deliberately’
Harish Rao alleged that the Speaker was running the House in a biased manner instead of acting as its custodian. He said BRS members were made to wait for nearly one-and-a-half hours during the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting, which he described as an act of humiliation.
According to Harish Rao, it was clearly agreed in the BAC meeting that the Assembly would be conducted for seven days, after which the schedule would be reviewed. However, the official minutes, he said, misrepresented the discussion, stating that the duration of the session would be left entirely to the Speaker’s discretion.
‘Opposition mics cut during Question Hour’
The former minister said that Opposition members were prevented from questioning the government during Question Hour, with microphones being cut whenever BRS legislators raised uncomfortable issues.
“Questioning the government is the Opposition’s constitutional responsibility. If we are not allowed to question the Chief Minister, why are we even invited to the Assembly?” he asked.
Drawing a comparison with Parliament, Rao said, “If Rahul Gandhi can criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament, why are we stopped from questioning the Chief Minister here?”
Sharp attack on CM’s language and conduct
Harish Rao strongly objected to the language used by the Chief Minister during the Assembly proceedings, accusing him of body-shaming and using abusive remarks.
“The stench of the Chief Minister’s words is worse than the pollution in the Musi River. Before talking about Musi rejuvenation, the Chief Minister should cleanse his own language,” Rao remarked.
He alleged that CM Revanth was behaving ‘not like a Chief Minister, but like a street rowdy,’ and had reduced the Assembly to a Congress Legislature Party meeting or a Gandhi Bhavan gathering.
Objections over remarks on KCR
The former minister also condemned the Chief Minister’s comments against former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, describing them as unacceptable and insulting.
“KCR is a leader of the Telangana movement and served as Chief Minister for ten years. The language used against him reflects the Chief Minister’s political immaturity,” he said.
BRS seeks debate on Musi Rejuvenation
Clarifying BRS’s stand, Harish Rao said the party was ready for a full-fledged discussion on the Musi River rejuvenation project.
“We demanded a short discussion or an all-day debate, but instead, the Chief Minister spoke irrelevantly for over an hour during Question Hour without answering specific questions,” he said.
Harish Rao pointed out that the government failed to respond to key questions, including whether Godavari waters would be diverted from Mallanna Sagar for Musi rejuvenation and compensation for displaced families as per the 2013 Land Acquisition Act
BRS defends its track record
Defending the previous BRS government, Rao said 32 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) were constructed to clean the Musi, and proposals for 39 additional STPs were submitted to the Centre, reflecting the party’s commitment to river rejuvenation.
‘Constitution being undermined in Assembly’
Taking a dig at the Congress leadership, Harish Rao said, “While Rahul Gandhi is holding the Constitution across the country, here in Telangana, CM Revanth is killing the Constitution inside the Assembly.”
He also alleged corruption against the Chief Minister, claiming that someone who had ‘officially increased corruption rates’ had no moral right to lecture the Opposition.
Decision to boycott Assembly
Accusing the Speaker of denying equal rights to all members and siding with the ruling party, Harish Rao announced that BRS would boycott the entire Assembly session in protest against the Speaker’s conduct and what he called the government’s arrogant and authoritarian attitude.
