HYDERABAD: Finding fault with the Assembly Speaker’s office for “not following the rules” in appointing the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, BRS MLA and former Legislative Affairs Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy urged the Speaker to reconsider the decision.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, Prashanth Reddy said: “The name of the new PAC chairman should be announced in the House itself. But the Assembly Secretary announced the names of the chairpersons of three committees 38 after days of the completion of the Assembly session.”
He objected to the appointment of a defected MLA as PAC chairman. “The PAC chairman should be elected and not selected,” he said.
The BRS MLA recalled that the election schedule for the PAC chairman post was announced on the last day of the recently concluded Assembly session. They gave just two hours for filing and for withdrawal of nominations. The entire process was completed in a hurried manner, Prashanth Reddy said.
“Three BRS MLAs filed their nominations for PAC chairman’s post. But how did defected MLA Arekapudi Gandhi came into the picture?” he wondered.
“How could the Speaker’s office delete the name of Harish Rao, who filed the nomination, without conducting the election. Who gave permission to Arekapudi Gandhi to file nomination on behalf of the BRS. The entire world watched when Gandhi wore the scarf of Congress. The news was also published in the media and Gandhi did not refute the same,” he said and added a disqualification petition against Gandhi was pending with the Speaker.
“Perhaps, this was the first time that the PAC chairman post was not allocated to the Opposition in the country. Even though, the Congress had no Opposition status, during Narendra Modi government, the PAC chairman post was given to the Congress. In the present Lok Sabha too, Congress leader KC Venugopal was appointed as PAC chairman,” the BRS leader pointed out.