VIJAYAWADA: Defending his party MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy’s comment Bantrothu Laga (like an attender) on TDP MLA K Atchannaidu, Minister for Finance and Legislative Affairs Buggana Rajendranath Reddy has said that TDP leaders often describe themselves as soldiers and servants in their speeches. “Our legislator might have said Bantrothu Laga in the same context,” he said and added that one should not forget the foul language used by the TDP legislators in the previous Assembly.
He said a TDP leader had said pudchipedatham (will bury you) and they have even asked the then Leader of Opposition Jagan Mohan Reddy if he was a man (nuvu magadivaite) and it was said by none other than Atchannaidu himself. “It can be verified in the records.
Today, they project themselves as being very systematic and going by rules. If it was so, they might have a right to question, but that is not the case. Blowing a minor issue out of proportion and wasting precious time of the House is not proper,” he maintained.
Nagari MLA RK Roja said she failed to understand why the Opposition legislators were making an issue out of nothing. “No one is more capable than Chandrababu Naidu in misusing Speaker’s position,” she said and observed that TDP MLA Atchannaidu seems to be jealous rather than happy on seeing an MLA from his own district becoming the Speaker.
Responding to the demand for apology, she asked, “What about the foul language used by TDP leaders in the past five years? Everyone has seen how TDP founder NT Rama Rao was insulted in the House by the one who had backstabbed him to take over the party by misusing the Speaker’s position,” she said.
Roja also raised the issue of her being suspended for one year to just protect the TDP MLAs by misusing the Speaker’s position. “Was it proper? I ask these people, who speak about conventions and values now,” she questioned. YSRC MLA Ambati Rambabu said the “occasion was for congratulating the Speaker and not for demanding clarification on the comment made by our MLA.”
“Let it be left to the Speaker - to verify the records and take a decision either to expunge it from records or ask for an apology. I ask the Opposition to be patient till the decision is made. I urge Naidu to control his army,” he said.