Hyderabad: On Friday, Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad sent new notices to six MLAs who switched from the BRS to the Congress party. He requested more evidence in a legally acceptable form.
The Speaker’s notices targeted BRS MLAs: Sanjay (Jagtial), Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada), Tellam Venkatrao (Bhadrachalam), B Krishnamohan Reddy (Gadwal), Kale Yadaiah (Chevella), and Gudem Mahipal Reddy (Patancheru). The BRS complained about their defection and demanded action.
This move follows a Supreme Court directive on July 31, which instructed the Speaker to decide on the matter within three months. The Speaker, adhering to this 90-day deadline, required the MLAs to respond within three days. Meanwhile, Kadiyam Srihari and Danam Nagender requested more time to answer.
In 2023, the BRS lost the Assembly elections, and A Revanth Reddy became the Chief Minister as the Congress took power. Many BRS leaders, through ‘Operation Akarsh,’ joined the Congress. The BRS sought disqualification for these defectors but, facing delays, went to the court. The Supreme Court emphasized a timely decision to prevent a situation where the ‘Operation is successful, patient dead.’
Previously, during the BRS’s rule, several Congress MLAs switched sides, causing Congress to lose its status as the main opposition. Congress leaders now argue that the BRS once welcomed such defections but questions them now. They claim many MLAs faced no consequences as the Speaker ignored Congress’s earlier petitions.
