Telangana Speaker Acting as KCR’s Agent: Congress

Hyderabad, June 7: Former minister and ex-Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir has strongly condemned the ‘illegal’ and ‘unconstitutional’ of the merger of 12 Congress MLAs into TRS.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Friday, Shabbir Ali said that the merger was an open violation of the Constitution and set democratic and legislative practices in the country. He said that the circular issued on behalf of Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy endorsing merger of 12 Congress MLAs into TRS Legislature Party was misleading and aimed at cheating the democratic institutions, including courts. He said an impression was given as if all 12 MLAs met on June 6 to seek merger with TRS. He gave the chronological order to show that the TRS party’s heinous ‘Operation Aakarshan’ was carried from March 2nd to June 6th. He said two MLAs Kantha Rao Rega and Athram Sakku joined TRS on March 2 followed by Chirumarthi Lingaiah (March 10), Haripriya Banoth (March 11), Patlolla Sabitha Indra Reddy (March 13), Kandala Upender Reddy (March 14), Devi Reddy Sudheer Reddy (March 15), Vanama Venkateswara Rao (March 18), Beeram Harshavardhan Reddy (March 20), Jajala Surender (March 27), Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy (April 22) and Rohith Reddy (June 6).

Shabbir Ali said as per the provisions of Anti-Defection provisions under the Xth Schedule, an MLA automatically gets disqualified if he/she ‘Voluntarily gives up the membership of his political party’. He said the moment defected MLAs announced their intention to join the TRS, they were automatically disqualified. Therefore, deemed to be disqualified MLAs have no right to meet and pass a resolution seeking their merger into another party. He said there have been several precedents across the country where MLAs were disqualified for speaking against the party on whose symbol they got elected. Further, he said the defections were no secret. Whenever an MLA defected, the Congress party promptly filed petitions with the Speaker seeking their disqualification. However, he said that the Speaker took no action or even served any notice to the MLAs concerned. Similarly, he said that Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan remained a mute spectator although two separate petitions were submitted to him on March 23 and April 25.

“Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, Speaker Pocharam Srininvas Reddy and Governor Narasimhan have brutally murdered the Constitution and democracy in Telangana. While KCR acted in the arrogance of power, the Speaker behaved like a slave of KCR. Unfortunately, the Governor has shown disloyalty to the Constitution by not performing his duties. They have turned Telangana into a symbol of dictatorship, political slavery, and treason,” alleged Shabbir Ali.

Shabbir Ali also dismissed the allegations of Congress encouraging similarly defection of TRS MLAs while it was in power in 2006. He said that 10 TRS MLAs had revolted against KCR and disqualification petitions were moved against them in February 2007. However, the then Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy, who is now with TRS, took action only after 18 months. He said on December 22, 2008, the then Speaker Suresh Reddy disqualified three rebel TRS MLAs and accepted the resignation of six other MLAs. Instead of blaming Congress, KCR should ask Suresh Reddy for delayed action.

“If you are accusing the then Chief Minister Dr. Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy of engineering defections in TRS in 2006-07, then why you are now sailing with YSRCP and praising YSR’s leadership?” he asked.