BRS Members Walk Out of PAC Meeting Over Chairman Appointment
Hyderabad: Members of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Telangana State Legislature walked out of a meeting on Tuesday. They were protesting against the appointment of the PAC Chairman. This was the third meeting in a row that they have boycotted over the issue.
BRS PAC members Vemula Prashanth Reddy, Gangula Kamalakar, Satyavathi Rathod, and L. Ramana claimed that the ruling Congress government ignored democratic traditions. They were unhappy with the appointment of Serilingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi as the PAC Chairman. Gandhi was originally elected as a BRS member but later joined Congress. The BRS leaders argued that he was given the position without consulting Leader of the Opposition K. Chandrashekar Rao, which they believe violates legislative customs.
Speaking at the BRS Legislature Party office, the protesting members said their party had nominated senior leader T. Harish Rao for the post. However, the government appointed Gandhi without any discussion. They also alleged that the ruling party was suppressing their voices by switching off their microphones whenever they tried to speak during committee meetings.
The BRS leaders strongly criticized the Congress government for what they called an undemocratic approach. They vowed to continue their protest until their concerns were addressed.
