Heated exchanges erupt in Assembly over BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy’s remarks

The exchanges intensified when Kaushik Reddy sought clarification from Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on an offline tender granted to Chalo Mobility for the automatic fare collection system in the TGSRTC.

Hyderabad: The State Assembly witnessed heated exchanges on Monday as the ruling Congress and main opposition BRS clashed over Huzurabad MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy’s comments on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and other Cabinet Ministers during the budget discussion.

In his debut participation, Kaushik Reddy raised issues concerning auto-rickshaw drivers and decisions related to the Transport and Excise departments. He charged the Congress of neglecting its electoral promise to provide Rs 12,000 to auto-rickshaw drivers in the budget allocation. He highlighted that around six lakh auto-rickshaw drivers were adversely affected by the free bus ride scheme for women and demanded measures to secure their livelihood.

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Tribal Welfare Minister D Seethakka intervened, accusing Kaushik Reddy of making contradictory statements and demanded clarity on BRS’s stance regarding the free bus rides. She also criticised the previous BRS regime for neglecting auto-rickshaw drivers.

When Kaushik Reddy countered stating that the Minister ‘lacked knowledge” about the K Chandrashekhar Rao government’s insurance scheme for transport and auto-rickshaw drivers, the Congress MLAs were on their feet, demanding an apology. Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu demanded that the remarks be withdrawn for which the BRS MLA accepted.

The exchanges intensified when Kaushik Reddy sought clarification from Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on an offline tender granted to Chalo Mobility for the automatic fare collection system in the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation. He further accused the government of wrongfull permission to Som Distilleries for beer supply, implicating Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s involvement, leading to strong objections from Congress MLAs.

Minister Sridhar Babu accused Kaushik Reddy of mudslinging and disrespecting established House practices by addressing Ministers without the honorific “Garu.” Kaushik Reddy defended his statements, claiming he had evidence and pointed out discrepancies in the State government’s claims that the permissions to Som Distilleries were cancelled, as against SEBI’s clarification that it was not informed about any such development which was mandatory as Som Distilleries is a listed company.