Hyderabad, Sept.9 (RAHNUMA): Roads & Buildings and Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Wednesday strongly criticised the BJP and BRS for allegedly disrupting proceedings of the Telangana Legislative Assembly and urged members to cooperate with the House.
Speaking in the Assembly, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said BJP Legislature Party leader A. Maheshwar Reddy should not have addressed Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy in an informal and disrespectful manner.
Referring to the BRS’ conduct towards Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar, the Minister said BJP members had claimed that they had come to the Assembly to “rescue” the Speaker from the BRS and urged them to withdraw the remark.
“From the first day of the Assembly session until today, the only objective of both the BJP and BRS appears to be to obstruct the proceedings,” he said.
The Minister termed the alleged remarks against the Speaker and the use of unparliamentary language unfortunate, saying such behaviour was “something that should make any civilised society hang its head in shame.”
He also alleged that certain members had made remarks about the Speaker’s mother, resulting in unnecessary disruptions in the House.
Komatireddy Venkat Reddy questioned the BJP’s alleged conduct towards Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. “If the BRS insults a Dalit Speaker and the BJP goes to the extent of ‘purifying’ the stage where Dalit leader Mallikarjun Kharge was seated, how can this be justified?” he asked.
The Minister said Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, was a senior politician who had won direct elections for nearly five decades. “Insulting such a leader amounts to an insult to democracy itself,” he said.
Komatireddy Venkat Reddy also termed the registration of an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his protest against the incident unfortunate.
He alleged that although the BJP and BRS appeared to be criticising each other, both parties were behaving similarly when it came to disrupting Assembly proceedings.
The Minister said the government was ready to hold discussions on all issues raised by members and urged them not to waste the time of the House by disrupting proceedings. Instead, he called upon them to participate in debates on Bills aimed at benefiting the people.
Referring specifically to the Panchayat Raj department’s Bill, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy described it as a good initiative aimed at making gram panchayats self-reliant.
The Minister appealed to Maheshwar Reddy and other BJP MLAs to cooperate with the proceedings and facilitate discussions on development-oriented Bills.
“The Assembly was elected by the people and should be used to discuss public issues. The time of the people and the House should not be wasted by obstructing the proceedings,” he said.
