Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar (second left).
Credit: X/@GPKOfficial_
Hyderabad: Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar dismissed yet another disqualification petition filed by the opposition BRS against Jagityal MLA Dr M Sanjay Kumar.
Till date, including Sanjay's case, the Speaker has now rejected eight such petitions over the past few days.
Citing a lack of evidence, he dismissed the BRS pleas seeking disqualification of its defected MLAs. Delivering a clean chit to all eight legislators, Prasad Kumar ruled there was no proof they had joined another party -- Congress, thereby rejecting the demands.
The verdicts stem from BRS petitions against MLAs who allegedly shifted allegiance to Congress after the 2023 Assembly polls. Acting on the Supreme Court’s directive, the Speaker recently concluded inquiries under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. While he has ruled on eight cases in phases including Sanjay's on Wednesday the hearings for Kadiyam Srihari and Danam Nagender stand deferred, as they sought extra time to appear.
Interestingly, Sanjay openly affirmed on Wednesday that he won on a BRS ticket and remains in the party. However, he stressed he has been collaborating with the ruling Congress for Jagityal's development. "I too won from the BRS party. Even to this day, I'm a BRS MLA. I'm working with the government for the development of the Jagityal constituency. I met the Chief Minister in December to release some funds for my constituency. If the BRS party issues a whip tomorrow for any bill, I'll support it if asked," said Dr Sanjay.
He added that Rs. 5,000 is deducted monthly from his salary to BRS and that he submitted an affidavit affirming his BRS membership.
In a first for the Telangana Legislative Assembly, the Speaker conducted in-camera hearings, including cross-examinations between petitioners' counsels and the defected MLAs.
BRS leaders had approached the Supreme Court last year over delays in the Speaker’s decisions.
On July 31, the apex court directed the Assembly to dispose of the petitions within three months which was later extended. The MLAs maintained they remain BRS members, meeting Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy only to discuss constituency development not for any formal defection to Congress.