KCR justifies merger of CLP with TRSLP; Congress stages walkout

Hyderabad: Congress party members staged walk-out from the Assembly while Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao justified the merger of CLP with TRSLP stating that it was as per 10th Schedule of the Constitution of India.

The issue came in the Assembly when the Congress leader Bhatti Vikramarka raised issue of the merger of CLP with TRSLP. The Chief Minister said he can't do anything when the Congress party MLAs were leaving their party.

The Congress members came to the house wearing black jackets and black stole and placards which read 'Save Democracy'.

CLP leader M Bhatti Vikramarka raised the issue of merger of CLP criticising the TRS party.

Reacting on the issue KCR said that there were some rules in the Constitution and as per the 10th Schedule of the Constitution the MLAs joined TRS.

"After elections few MLAs wanted to join TRS but we did not take anybody because we had won with two thirds majority and two Independent MLAs had also joined the party.

When it comes to a split in the party what can I do? Four Rajya Sabha members of a party merged their party with the BJP and also met Prime Minister.

Similarly in Goa, the Congress MLAs left the party. The attraction of your leaders is waning in the country and you are talking as if it is a crime," said Rao.

He said that though the matter was sub judice and added that he had to talk on the subject because leaders have been raising the issue regularly.

Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao also mocked the Congress members asking them to take care of their members as some of them were not along with them.

Earlier, Bhatti Vikramarka alleged that the TRS was taking away MLAs of other parties. He said that Telangana is a new State and it should be a role model for the other States.

The Congress member raised the defection issue whenever he got mike from the Speaker. However, Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said that since the matter was sub judice he would not allow the member to talk on this.

He asked the member to talk on the Municipal Act Amendment Bill and advised him not to deviate from the subject. To this, the Congress leader said that even though the matter was sub judice, the speaker took a decision to merge the CLP and also released a bulletin.

After several bills were passed, the Congress party members staged walkout from the House. However, Congress member Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy stayed in the House when the Congress members staged walk out.