Govt Whip Urges Respect for Speaker's Disqualification Verdict
Govt Whip Urges Respect for Speaker's Disqualification Verdict
Hyderabad: Govt. Whip defends the Speaker's ruling on disqualification petitions, urging unity and pointing to past defections as context.
HYDERABAD Government Whip Adi Srinivas said that the decision of Assembly Speaker G. Prasad Kumar on the disqualification petitions filed against certain MLAs has to be abided by all. Addressing a press conference at the media point in Assembly on Wednesday, after the Speaker gave his ruling, Mr. Srinivas said, “The Speaker heard arguments from both sides and delivered a judgment based on merit. Everyone must respect this decision.” He condemned the personal attacks against the Speaker and other Congress leaders. He wondered how the BRS could criticise the Speaker’s decision when it had blatantly encouraged defections during its regime. “It is surprising that the BRS is speaking about defections. Did they forget that TDP MLA Talasani was inducted into the Cabinet? Did they forget that Congress MLA Sabitha Indra Reddy was taken into the ministry? Over the past 10 years, 39 Opposition MLAs were welcomed into BRS,” he said. He reminded the BRS leaders that earlier, when the Opposition parties had complained to the presiding officers on the issue of defections, no action was taken. “Even the present MLA from Quthbullapur, Kuna Vivekananda Goud, defected from TDP to TRS (now BRS). Former BRS MLA from Korutla, Kalvakuntla Vidyasagar Rao, engaged in cross-voting during MLC elections and was suspended. Today, his son and MLA Sanjay is speaking about defections,” Mr. Srinivas observed. He said that if BRS was aggrieved by the Speaker’s decision, they could approach the High Court or even SC.
