HYDERABAD: BRS on Saturday staged a walkout from the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting held to finalise the agenda for the Monsoon Session of the Assembly, accusing the government of restricting the session to just two days. The BAC meeting, convened after a Cabinet meeting and shortly following the House’s adjournment earlier in the day, decided that the Assembly will reconvene on Sunday at 9 am.
Speaking to the media, former minister T Harish Rao slammed the government’s approach, accusing it of ignoring the Opposition’s demand for discussions on pressing public concerns and opting instead for a truncated session.
However, Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu clarified that the duration of the ongoing session would be decided on Sunday. The House will discuss the PC Ghose Commission report on KLIS and the Bill on BC quota, he told reporters. On BRS’ request for a presentation, he said the Speaker would take a decision. The session may run with four- to five-day breaks, with a pause planned for immersion of Lord Ganesha idols and recent floods, he said.
Discussion on rain damage sought
Harish said, “We demanded discussions on the damage caused by the rains, the shortage of fertilisers, the spread of diseases, illegal activities in the Fourth City, and the suffering of the poor. Instead of allowing these critical issues to be debated, the government has decided to hold only a two-day session. When we proposed talking about flood issues, the response was to discuss ‘mud politics’ instead. This is a grave injustice to the people.”
BJP leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy also expressed dissatisfaction, accusing the government of deliberately avoiding debate on important issues. He stated, “The government claims that Sunday’s session will be just one day, but this is far from sufficient for addressing the multitude of issues at hand. We have proposed discussions on at least 30 critical issues, but the government continues to evade meaningful debate.”
AIMIM writes to Speaker urging extension
Requesting an extension of the session, AIMIM Floor Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, in a letter to the Assembly Speaker, mentioned several urgent issues, including the flood situation, farmers’ suicides, welfare schemes for marginalised communities, and the progress of development projects.
AIMIM sought more than 15 working days of sittings to ensure a comprehensive debate on these issues in the Assembly.