Expelled MLAs deprived of Congress support

​Warangal: City Congress working president Rajanala Srihari has expressed serious concern over the party leadership’s rather sloppy approach towards the case of expelled MLAs Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and SA Sampath Kumar.

Even as the expelled MLAs were getting support from High Court in their favour, the TPCC and CLP leaders were not able to show a similar backing. Except the leaders, the entire cadre of the party stood by the MLAs, who were unlawfully barred from the State Assembly, he felt.

Speaking to the press here on Tuesday, Srihari wanted the TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy and CLP leader K Jana Reddy and all the MLAs to quit their memberships to put pressure on the Assembly Speaker to restore the membership of its legislators expelled from the House on March 13.   

This, he said in the wake of dismissal of a review petition by TRS MLAs challenging the judgement of the single judge on April 17 revoking expulsion of Nalgonda MLA Venkat Reddy and Alampur MLA Sampath Kumar, by High Court on Monday.  

Upholding the verdict given by the single judge by the division bench comprising acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice K Vijayalakshmi indicates how the ruling TRS managed the House to pass unanimous resolution to expelling the duo for the rest of the Assembly’s tenure, Srihari noted.

Nonetheless, it was sad that Congress leadership in the State remained silent on the issue instead of exposing undemocratic means adopted by the ruling party and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in stifling the voice of the Opposition, he lamented. It sends wrong signals to party cadre, he added.

The Congress leader further stated that the 12 TRS legislators, whom he described as the opportunist politicians, have no moral right to go to the court against Congress MLAs. The High Court’s judgements were a slap in the face of the TRS, he commented.

Srihari appealed his party MLAs to quit their posts if the Speaker S Madhusudhana Chary and the CM failed to honour the latest verdict of the court by Wednesday and stage massive agitations across the State.

The party SC Cell national member B Sadanandam, BC Cell state secretary M Krishna, ST Cell state secretary P Narender, leaders Ch Venkateshwarlu, Sk Haider, G Ravinder and others were present.