BRS to move Supreme Court on disqualification of turncoat MLAs

The party leadership took the decision in consultation with the legal experts in view of the completion of three months of Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender switched allegiance to the Congress.

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has decided to move the Supreme Court seeking disqualification of the party MLAs who defected to the ruling Congress, defying the people’s mandate in the recent Assembly polls. The party leadership took the decision in consultation with the legal experts in view of the completion of three months of Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender switched allegiance to the Congress.

According to a previous judgement of the Apex Court, the Assembly Speaker must decide on disqualification petitions within three months. As per Paragraphs 30 and 33 of this judgment, the High Court must take immediate action on such matters.

---

A hearing regarding Danam Nagender‘s disqualification is scheduled in the High Court on June 27. If the High Court does not rule in favour of disqualifying Nagender, the BRS will approach to the Supreme Court without delay. Along with Nagender, the party plans to challenge the defections of other MLAs who have switched parties in the Supreme Court.

Responding to BRS MLAs quitting the party and joining the ruling Congress, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Monday stated that the party will not be deterred by such defections. He reminded that the power of people is always stronger than the people in power.

“We have faced several defections of MLAs in the past in 2004-06 when Congress was in Government. Telangana responded strongly by stepping up the people’s agitation and eventually Congress had to bow its head. History shall repeat itself,” he said on ‘X’.

Former Ministers L Ramana and Rajesham Goud along with BRSV (student wing) president Gellu Srinivas Yadav slammed the Congress over its double standards with regarding to defection of elected representatives. “Is this Rahul Gandhi’s Congress or Revanth Reddy’s Congress? While Rahul Gandhi is demanding for immediate disqualification of MLAs upon defection, Revanth Reddy is encouraging them,” Ramana said. He called Jagitial MLA Sanjay Kumar’s decision as unethical.

BRS had won 39 of the total 119 Assembly seats in the elections held last year, while Congress came to power with 64 seats. However, the Congress’ number increased to 65 after the party won the Secunderabad Cantonment bypoll following the demise of BRS MLA G Lasya Nanditha in a road accident earlier this year.

Since the Assembly elections held in December last year, five out of 39 BRS MLAs have left the party. While Danam Nagender, Kadiam Srihari and Tellam Venkat Rao joined the Congress before the Lok Sabha polls, Banswada MLA Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and Jagitial MLA Sanjay Kumar defected to the party during the last week.