Hyderabad: Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy's action draws BJP lawmakers' ire

Hyderabad: Dubbak BJP legislator M Raghunandan Rao called Tuesday is a black day in the country's legislative history.

Addressing a joint media conference here on Tuesday with party MLAs Eatala Rajender and Raja Singh, he said Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy had refused to revoke the suspension of the three MLAs till the end of the Assembly budget session.

The MLAs, with the HC division bench order presented themselves before the Speaker in the morning ahead of the last day sitting of the Assembly. The bench had asked the Speaker to give an audience to the suspended MLAs and take appropriate decisions in consonance with the spirit of parliamentary democracy rising above partisan politics.

Rao said the speaker rejected their plea within a minute saying that there is no change in the decision on their suspension and left to chair the Assembly proceedings. He termed as 'unfortunate' the speaker not taking the spirit of democracy into consideration. He said the BJP MLAs had attended, sporting black scarfs, on the first day of the Budget session. "Wearing black scarves is not banned", Besides, they have not violated any rules of the House."

Rao pointed out that he does not want to attribute politics to the Chair. However, "We feel that he did not revoke their suspension intentionally. A Speaker not protecting the rights of MLA is unfortunate. This is undemocratic." He said the BJP MLAs were sent out to silence their voice in the House.

He reminded the CM of words of former PM A B Vajpayee to the Congress, making fun of him for lacking support and forcing him to resign. But Vajpayee had said that one day the Congress would face the same fate. That is what had happened to it in the recent poll results of the five States.

"The TRS chief would meet the same fate soon or later for humiliating BJP MLAs with suspension, with numbers on his side, Rao said. Rajender said the CM was acting like North Korean president Kim Jong-Un. "The TRS chief is trampling traditions and conventions of the legislature with his party strength. The party would stage "Rajyanga Parirakshana Diksha (Constitution Protection Day) from 11 am to 5 pm at Indira Park on March 17 to protest 'undemocratic suspension of three BJP MLAs. Legislators, MPs, former people's representatives, district leaders will participate.