BRS lauds Telangana High Court verdict, urges Speaker for swift action

The party hailed the judgement as a victory for democracy and rebuked the Congress party's undemocratic actions by promoting defections.

Hyderabad: Welcoming the Telangana High Court‘s directive to the Assembly Speaker to take action on disqualification petitions against MLAs who defected to the ruling Congress, the BRS on Monday demanded immediate action. The party hailed the judgement as a victory for democracy and rebuked the Congress party’s undemocratic actions by promoting defections.

The High Court’s directive came after a petition was filed by BRS MLAs Padi Kaushik Reddy and KP Vivekananda, seeking action against three MLAs – Danam Nagender, Kadiyam Srihari, and Tellam Venkat Rao, who had defected from the BRS to the Congress. The court instructed Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad to make a decision on the disqualification of these MLAs and submit a status report, warning that failure to comply could result in the case being reopened suo moto.

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In a statement, former Minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao said the High Court’s ruling upheld the constitutional spirit by disqualifying MLAs who defected from other parties. He expressed confidence that this decision would lead to by-elections in the affected constituencies and predicted that the BRS would emerge victorious in these bypolls. He urged the Assembly Speaker to act in accordance with the High Court’s verdict within the stipulated four weeks, and preserve the integrity of the legislative process.

Former Minister S Niranjan Reddy called on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to respond to the High Court verdict, challenging him to ensure disqualification of the defected MLAs if he respected the constitution. “The court judgments cannot be avoided for many days. If Rahul Gandhi adheres to political values and principles, he should make those who joined the party to resign” he asserted.

Former Minister Koppula Eeshwar expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling, calling it a necessary step to address the “bad traditions” in politics. He urged the Speaker to make an independent decision that aligns with constitutional values and warned against the erosion of political ethics. Eeshwar also criticised the defected MLAs, particularly Danam Nagender, for switching parties for personal gain, calling such actions as a misfortune in politics.

Former Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy pointed out that the Speaker could not escape from his responsibilities for long in the wake of the High Court verdict. He reminded that the Speaker had earlier claimed that he was personally against defections.

Senior BRS leader Dasoju Sravan also praised the High Court’s judgment, terming it a landmark ruling that reinforced the Anti-Defection Law championed by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He asked the defected MLAs to voluntarily resign, which would be a moral and democratic obligation in light of the court’s directive. He also asked Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to respect the judiciary and uphold the sanctity of the electoral mandate.