22 BRS Legislators Face Suspension Following Disruption In Telangana Assembly

Twenty-two Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislators, including working president K T Rama Rao and senior leader T Harish Rao, were suspended from the Telangana Assembly for the remainder of the monsoon session on Wednesday. The action followed repeated disruptions after BRS members raised slogans and entered the well of the House, despite repeated appeals from the Speaker and senior government leaders to return to their seats.

The BRS legislators raised slogans demanding justice soon after the Assembly proceedings began. Rama Rao had moved an adjournment motion seeking a discussion on alleged police high-handedness against BRS women MLAs two days earlier, when party legislators were stopped at the Assembly gate. The motion also sought discussion on alleged remarks by some ruling Congress members concerning the health and death of BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu repeatedly asked the protesting legislators to return to their seats and participate in the proceedings. The Speaker also indicated that he would examine whether the BRS members had submitted their demands in writing. The legislators, however, continued their protest in the well, leading to the government moving a motion for their suspension.

Also Read: Food Safety Concerns At Hyderabad’s Hotel Shadab Lead To Licence Suspension

Vikramarka rejected the allegation that Congress leaders had wished for Chandrasekhar Rao’s death, maintaining that he and other Congress leaders had wished the BRS chief a healthy and long life as well as a prolonged career in public service. He urged the BRS legislators to raise their concerns from their designated seats rather than resorting to what he described as intimidating and aggressive conduct. He also raised the issue of alleged remarks against the Speaker and Dalits in the context of recent political protests.

The suspended BRS legislators include K T Rama Rao, Anil Jadhav, T Harish Rao, G Jagadish Reddy, Gangula Kamalakar, Kaushik Reddy, Madhavaram Krishna Rao, Kova Laxmi, K Manik Rao, Chinta Prabhakar, Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, Vemula Prashant Reddy, Marri Rajasekhar Reddy, Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, P Sabita Indra Reddy, Kalvakuntla Sanjay, T Srinivas Yadav, D Sudheer Reddy, V Sunita Laxmareddy, Kaleru Venkatesh, Vijayudu and K P Vivekananda. The suspension was announced after Sridhar Babu moved the motion, which was accepted by the House.

The action comes amid heightened political exchanges between the ruling Congress and the BRS in Telangana. The BRS has an official strength of 37 members in the 119-member Assembly, making the suspension of 22 legislators a significant development for the party during the ongoing monsoon session. The dispute has involved allegations concerning the treatment of BRS legislators, comments about KCR and remarks involving the Assembly Speaker, with the latest confrontation resulting in the mass suspension.

Also Read: Priyank Kharge Supports Suspension Of Karnataka Teachers Over RSS March Participation