Veteran Pocharam takes over as Speaker of TS Assembly

​Hyderabad: Putting an end to the one-month long suspense over the name of Assembly Speaker, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, who is a veteran politician was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the second Assembly of Telangana.

Srinivas Reddy, who started his career as chairman of single window system, grew step by step and had become a minister in the TDP cabinet in the united Andhra Pradesh. During the agitation for separate Telangana state, Pocharam quit the yellow party and joined the TRS. He had also participated in the 1969 agitation for separate Telangana as a student leader in Osmania University. He is among the oldest members in the Assembly and would turn 69 on February 10.

Srinivas Reddy was a key hand and as minister for agriculture was responsible for effectively implementing the game changer Rythu Bandhu scheme and other pro-farmer initiatives like 24x7 supply of power free of cost and Rythu Bhima. As the House began, Pro-tem Speaker Mumtaz Ahmed Khan announced that Srinivas Reddy was elected speaker unanimously as no other candidate had filed nomination. He asked the leaders, including leader of the House to accompany Srinivas Reddy to the Chair. 

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Congress MLA Uttam Kumar Reddy, TRS MLA E Rajender, MIM MLA Ahmed Bin Abdullah Balala escorted Srinivas Reddy to the Chair. Congratulating Reddy, the Chief Minister and former ministers and TRS MLAs and Congress leaders recalled his yeomen service in the previous governments. They made special reference to his contribution to usher in another green revolution in the state as Agriculture Minister in the first TRS government.

Thanking the members, the Speaker said that the House was a place for having debate on public issues and not for confrontation. He thanked the chief minister for proposing his name and the members for cooperating in making his election unanimous. He asked the members to work with unity to enhance the dignity of the House. He assured to look at ruling and opposition members alike and run the House as per rules and conventions. He said as Speaker he does not belong to any party. He asked the members to raise above the party, caste and religious lines and fulfil their responsibilities and promised to fulfil his duties. 

The treasury benches should answer to the issues raised by the opposition and the opposition should have patience, he said. “The chief minister calls me Lakshmi Putrudu. I think there will be no other CM who would have shown such respect towards his colleagues. I am fortunate and I thank him,” said the Speaker.

There was humour in the House for some time when Speaker said that there was no role of his in the victory of Congress MLA J Surender (Yellareddy). “Surender had said that he won with my inspiration. I assisted Surender to get ticket three times when he was in TDP. There was my inspiration in getting ticket but there is no role in Surender’s victory,” said Srinivas Reddy as the other members, including the chief minister laughed. The Speaker later adjourned the House for Saturday.