Hyderabad Assembly Speaker G Prasad Kumar made a significant ruling on Thursday. He dismissed disqualification petitions against two BRS MLAs. The MLAs are Pocharam Srinivas Reddy from Banswada and Kale Yadaiah from Chevella.
Speaker Cites Lack of Evidence
The petitions accused both legislators of defecting to the Congress party. This alleged defection happened after Congress came to power in December 2023. Speaker Prasad Kumar ruled there was no evidence to prove defection. He held that both MLAs continue to be members of the BRS party.
Background of the Petitions
The BRS party itself filed these disqualification petitions. They alleged the two MLAs joined Congress after the government changed. The party claimed some MLAs received rewards with posts. Pocharam Srinivas Reddy served as a former speaker of the assembly. The state government appointed him as an adviser a few months ago.
In his detailed order, Speaker Prasad Kumar stated the material placed before him did not establish formal defection. He found no concrete proof the MLAs officially switched parties.
Timing and Broader Context
This ruling carries extra significance due to its timing. It came just one day before a Supreme Court hearing. The court will examine the broader issue of alleged defections by MLAs in Telangana.
The BRS has moved disqualification petitions against ten of its MLAs total. They accuse all ten of switching loyalties to the Congress party. Thursday's order follows a pattern of similar rulings by the speaker.
Previous Similar Decisions
In December last year, the speaker dismissed petitions against five other BRS MLAs. Those MLAs were Tellam Venkat Rao from Bhadrachalam, Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy from Gadwal, T Prakash Goud from Rajendranagar, Gudem Mahipal Reddy from Patancheru, and Arekapudi Gandhi from Serilingampally.
He cited the same reason for all five dismissals. There was a lack of material to prove defection. With Thursday's decision, the speaker has now disposed of seven petitions in total. All seven cases ended on similar grounds of insufficient evidence.
Status of Remaining Cases
Three disqualification petitions still remain pending before the speaker. Hearings and arguments have concluded for the petition against Jagtial MLA M Sanjay Kumar. Orders are now reserved in that case.
The cases involving Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender and Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari are still pending. Kadiyam Srihari has responded to notices from the speaker's office. Danam Nagender has yet to submit his response.
BRS Reaction and Allegations
BRS working president KT Rama Rao reacted sharply to Thursday's ruling. He accused the Congress leadership of shielding defected MLAs. He said they are undermining constitutional values.
"The Congress party has once again demonstrated its degradation," KTR stated. "They are politically pressuring the speaker's system, which should have acted against defected MLAs like Yadaiah and Pocharam."
He claimed the same undemocratic forces blocked action against five defected MLAs previously. "They have completely buried constitutional values," he added. "Even with ample evidence of party switching, denying the existence of proof is an insult to the assembly."
KTR alleged Congress shows no respect for the Constitution or even the highest courts. He said Thursday's ruling reveals the ruling party's reluctance. They do not want to face by-elections in constituencies of defected MLAs. This reluctance comes after Congress faced a backlash in recent panchayat elections.
