HYDERABAD: The Opposition BRS has decided to boycott the rest of the Assembly session, in protest against the “partisan attitude” of the Speaker.
BRS member T Harish Rao announced this during a protest staged near Gun Park by the party MLAs after staging a walkout during a debate on Musi rejuvenation.
Harish alleged that Speaker Gaddam Prasad was conducting the proceedings in a partisan manner. “The way the business is being conducted in the House was against the democratic spirit,” he said.
Though the BRS wanted the Assembly session to be conducted for seven days, it was not mentioned in the minutes of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting, he said while alleging that the mic of BRS MLAs was disconnected repeatedly as they were trying to question the government on several issues.
“Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi criticises Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha. But here, in the Assembly, the mics of the BRS MLAs were disconnected whenever they started criticising the chief minister,” he said.
The former minister also found fault with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for body shaming the BRS leaders. “The stench of Revanth Reddy’s words has become worse than that of Musi river. Before cleaning the Musi, there is a need to cleanse the chief minister’s mouth,” he remarked.
The BRS leader demanded that the state government should pay compensation to the victims of Musi rejuvenation as per the 2013 Act.
‘Move aimed at hiding truth’
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao described the BRS’ decision to boycott the Assembly session as a “calculated move to hide the truth”.
Speaking to reporters, the minister said that the Opposition was fleeing the House to avoid being confronted with facts on governance during their 10-year rule. “It’s a strategic evasion and not a legitimate protest. A pre-planned and deliberate attempt to avoid discussion on the floor of the House,” he said.
The minister further added that KCR and his team are staying away because they know that if they come to the Assembly, the facts about the state will come out. “Their lapses, failures and mistakes will be exposed, and since they are unable to face criticism and unwilling to listen to facts, they are creating a pretext to escape discussion,” he said.