Hyderabad: War of words between Revanth Reddy and Jagadish Reddy on power project issue

Pandemonium prevailed in the House as there were heated exchanges between the two leaders during discussion on demand for grants.

Hyderabad: A war of words broke out between Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and BRS legislator and former Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy on the alleged irregularities in the power sector during the previous BRS government in the State Assembly on Monday.

Pandemonium prevailed in the House as there were heated exchanges between the two leaders during discussion on demand for grants.

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The Chief Minister, who intervened in the discussion while Jagadish Reddy was speaking on the issue, alleged that BRS president and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and the former energy minister approached the court to scrap the commission appointed by the State government to probe the irregularities taken place in the power sector during BRS government tenure, as they were fearing that they would be sent to prison if the probe was allowed.

He countered the claims of Jagadish Reddy that the Supreme Court had found fault with the constitution of the commission and stated that the Apex Court had only asked to replace the Commission chairman L Narasimha Reddy and that it justified the probe ordered by the State government.

“SC has only asked the government to replace the commission chairman. It has asked the commission to continue the probe,”he pointed out.

Responding to the Chief Minister’s remark that he was afraid of going to Cherlapally prison, Jagadish said since Revanth Reddy was imprisoned in Cherlapally prison in the Cash for Vote case, he was recalling his experience.

The remark of Jagadish Reddy turned the House into a chaos, with Treasury benches and BRS members making allegations and counter allegations against each other.

Intervening in the issue, Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy alleged that Jagadish Reddy had a criminal history and that he was an accused in murder and theft case.

“I have all the details of the cases filed against you. How you used to attend courts in different cases,”he said.

An enraged Jagadish Reddy challenged that if Venkat Reddy could prove his allegations he would resign from his post and leave politics forever.

Accepting the challenge, Venkat Reddy said if he was not able to prove criminal cases against Jagadish Reddy he too would resign from the minister and MLA posts.

“I will get all the details of your criminal cases and place in the House,”he said.

There were repeated interruptions when Jagadish Reddy was speaking and members from the treasury benches attacked him for targeting the Chief Minister.

The Speaker tried to control the situation, but both the parties did not yield to his request and continued to target each other.

BRS members rushed to the Speaker’s podium several times urging him to allow them to make their point. The chaos went on for over two hours.

Meanwhile, Jagadish Reddy requested the Speaker to expunge the remarks made against him by the treasury benches. The Speaker said he would go through the remarks and decide whether to expunge them or not.