BJP MLAs boycott oath taking ceremony in Telangana Assembly

Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy said his party MLAs would be staying away from the oath taking ceremony as Akbaruddin Owaisi was appointed pro-tem speaker against the assembly norms

Hyderabad: Accusing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of indulging in minority appeasement politics, the newly elected BJP Legislative Party members stayed away from the oath taking ceremony held at the State Assembly on Saturday in protest against the State government appointing All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi as the pro-tem speaker.

Disclosing the decision of the party to the media, State BJP president G Kishan Reddy said his party MLAs decided to stay away from the oath taking ceremony in protest against appointing Owaisi as pro-tem speaker. He strongly objected to the appointment of Owaisi as the Pro-tem Speaker.

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“Though there were other senior legislators in the new assembly, the State government chose Owaisi as pro-tem speaker. There is a ritual of appointing a senior leader as pro-tem Speaker. However, Congress has appointed Owaisi to the post due to their understanding with AIMIM,” he alleged.

The Speaker’s election proceedings should be held under the chairmanship of a senior member of the new assembly and not Owaisi, he said. “We will take the matter to the Governor and ask her to put in hold the Speaker’s election as the government has violated the rules while appointing the Pro-tem Speaker. We object to this. We demand that the election of the Assembly Speaker should not happen with this Pro-tem Speaker,”he said.

He also alleged that the Congress’s present position in the assembly was not so secure and that in order to strengthen its position it was trying to get the support of the AIMIM. The party MLAs elect would take oath after the appointment of the Speaker, he said.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Kishan Reddy expressed anger over Raja Singh making an announcement on Friday that the party’s elected members would not be taking oath in protest against the appointment of Owaisi. He reportedly told Raja Singh that he could not take decisions on behalf of everyone. An angry Raja Singh did not turn up for a special prayer organised at the Bhagyalakshmi Temple and at the Martyrs’ Memorial at Gun Park.

Earlier, the BJP MLAs-elect met with Kishan Reddy at the party office and then offered prayers at the Bhagyalakshmi Temple at Charminar. They then paid homage at the BR Ambedkar statue at the Tank Bund and at the Martyrs’ Memorial at Gun Park.