HYDERABAD: BRS legislators KP Vivekananda and Padi Kaushik Reddy on Wednesday met the State Legislature Secretary and submitted a memorandum, asking him to start the process of hearing the three disqualification petitions by the Speaker as directed by the Telangana High Court.
Besides dealing with the petitions filed against Danam Nagender, Tellam Venkata Rao and Kadiyam Srihari, they also wanted the Speaker to take action in seven other disqualification petitions pending with him.
They said that the Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu’s comments on MLAs who defected from the BRS to the Congress and appointment of PAC chairman were unfair.
“Sridhar Babu’s remarks were against AICC leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement on defections. He should disclose who suggested the fourth name - Arekapudi Gandhi - for the PAC post. He should also reveal what happened to the nomination filed by BRS MLA T Harish Rao. Arekapuri Gandhi should make it clear to the people to which party he belongs now,” they said.
Kaushik Reddy, meanwhile, dared Gandhi to come to Telangana Bhavan on Thursday if he still considers himself as a member of the BRS.
Harish raises concern over rising dog bite cases
Former minister T Harish Rao, meanwhile, alleged that over 60,000 dog bite cases were reported so far this year, leading to loss of lives. Families were left devastated by these tragic, preventable deaths, he said in a statement.
The government’s failure to control stray dog population or ensure that life-saving anti-rabies injections were available in public hospitals worsened the situation, he alleged.
There were over two million stray dogs across Telangana, with more than one million in the GHMC area alone. This highlights the government’s complete failure in managing this crisis, he said.
Even though the situation was out of control, the government has not released funds for sterilisation operations, which was crucial for managing stray dog population, the former minister added.
He alleged that despite the high court’s directive to develop a comprehensive action plan, the government has failed to announce any steps to tackle the stray dog menace.
“We also demand the state government follow the precedents set by the Haryana and Punjab HCs by providing Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of those who die from dog bites and Rs 50,000 to those who get injured,” Harish Rao said.