The Telangana Assembly on Monday witnessed pandemonium as Congress members stormed into the Speaker’s podium repeatedly in protest against defection of members by wearing black badges. The proceedings in the House were marred as the Congress members made a strong pitch for a debate on the alleged defections being encouraged by the ruling party. Despite Speaker Madhusudhanachary’s repeated appeals to resume their seats and cooperate for question hour, the Congress members refused to budge. The Speaker disallowed their adjournment motion on the same issue earlier. The Speaker adjourned the House for 10 minutes and again for half-an-hour as the Congress members were in unrelenting mood and vied for a debate on defections.
Earlier, Congress deputy leader T Jeevan Reddy raked up the issue by accusing the TRS of encouraging defections. The TRS seems to be caught in jeopardy of insecurity and encouraging the defections by luring their party members, he alleged. Legislative Affairs Minister T. Harish Rao contended that the Congress has no right to question the defections. He turned the tables on Congress saying it was alone was noted for encouraging defections. As his appeal to cooperate with the chair went haywire in the melee by the Congress at the podium, the Speaker had to adjourn the House for half-an-hour. As the unruly situation remained unchanged even after resumption, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day to meet on Tuesday.
In the meanwhile, Education Minister G Jagadish Reddy criticised the Congress for their protest. Afraid of exposure of its misdeeds, the Congress, which has no right to talk about defections, was disturbing the proceedings, he charged. He also said it is well known that Jeevan Reddy, who was associated with some other party earlier coolly sneaked into the Congress, he added.
Ridiculing the Congress protest against defections, Panchayat Raj and IT Minister K T Rama Rao said the Congress was preaching sermons like a cat going on pilgrimage after killing and devouring hundreds of rats. (NSS)
