Harish Rao slams directionless Assembly proceedings and govt’s diversion tactics

BRS leader T Harish Rao criticised the Congress government for disrupting Assembly proceedings and sidelining the opposition. He also raised concerns over irrigation issues, alleged diversion politics, and failure to deliver on key welfare promises and legislative accountability.

Hyderabad: BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao lashed out at the Congress government for reducing the Telangana Legislative Assembly to a directionless exercise, while systematically throttling the opposition to evade accountability on key public issues. He accused the government of wasting the House’s valuable time through arbitrary disruptions and excuses.

Addressing a media conference at the Assembly Media Hall on Tuesday, Harish Rao said proceedings were repeatedly stalled under the pretext of extended tea breaks, delays in the Chief Minister’s arrival, the Finance Minister’s preparations, and even personal engagements of Ministers. “Do you come to the House to prepare for debate, or after preparing?” he asked, terming it a mockery of legislative functioning.

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Harish Rao said Assembly traditions and parliamentary decorum were trampled, with the House failing to start on time on any day. He said that despite the BRS submitting notices for discussions on 19 key issues, not a single one was taken up.

He accused the ruling party of stretching sessions late into the night to sideline opposition participation and rushing through business without scrutiny. “They passed key bills and budget demands through guillotine votes without debate and fled the House,” he said.

The BRSLP deputy leader stated that the session was abruptly curtailed to facilitate Congress leaders’ election campaigning in Kerala. “For this government, Kerala elections matter more than Telangana’s people,” he said.

On the contentious issue of alleged irregularities linked to Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Harish Rao accused the government of resorting to diversion politics. He said the government suspended BRS MLAs in a premeditated manner to divert attention after the opposition presented concrete evidence in the House. “They silenced the opposition to shield the Minister,” he charged.

He also took strong exception to the language used by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Congress members on the Assembly floor, alleging instances of “rowdyism” and threats. Questioning the selective application of rules against BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy, he demanded that such remarks be referred to the Ethics Committee. “Why are these not examined, while opposition MLAs are punished without any fault?” he asked.

Harish Rao slammed the government over its failure to deliver on its flagship Six Guarantees even in its third budget, with no clarity or adequate allocation for key promises like financial support to women. He said welfare commitments to BCs, SCs, STs, farmers and the unemployed remained unfulfilled. He said the BRS exposed the failures of the State government effectively inside and outside the Assembly, despite attempts to suppress its voice.

On irrigation, he rejected criticism of the Kaleshwaram project from both the Congress and BJP, calling it politically motivated. Citing official data and government records, he refuted claims that the project failed, pointing to water storage in Mallanna Sagar and ongoing irrigation benefits across multiple districts. “If the project has collapsed, where is this water coming from?” he asked, challenging both parties to visit the ground and verify.

The senior BRS leader alleged a tacit understanding between the Congress and BJP to discredit the BRS. He also criticised the introduction and passage of the Hate Speech Bill without discussion, terming it another example of legislative bypass. He warned that attempts to stifle opposition voices would not succeed. “If you silence us in the House, we will take the fight to the people,” he asserted.