Keshava Rao quits Rajya Sabha, sets off debate if defectors will follow suit

His resignation has set off a discussion on whether or not the other six legislators in Telangana, who defected to the Congress would also send in their papers voluntarily.

Hyderabad: The resignation of K Keshava Rao from the membership of Rajya Sabha, after he defected to the Congress from the BRS has set off an animated discussion among the political circles on whether the other defected MLAs would also follow suit.

Keshava Rao was nominated to the Rajya Sabha for two consecutive terms by the BRS and had two more years of his term in the Upper House. On Thursday Rao submitted his resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar in New Delhi. His resignation has set off a discussion on whether or not the other six legislators in Telangana, who defected to the Congress would also send in their papers voluntarily.

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Six BRS legislators — Danam Nagender (Khairatabad), Kadiyam Srihari (Station Ghanpur), Tallam Venkat Rao (Bhadrachalam), Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada), Dr Sanjay Kumar (Jagtial) and Kale Yadaiah (Chevella) — defected to the Congress recently. The BRS took a strong objection to their defections and urged Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to disqualify them.

The BRS had also submitted a memorandum to the Speaker seeking their disqualification as per statutes, but no action has been initiated in this regard so far.

Interestingly, the Speaker himself termed the defections ‘unethical’ during an interview with a TV channel, but had chosen not to act on the BRS demand to disqualify them. With the Speaker not granting even an appointment to receive the memorandum seeking disqualification, the BRS had sent its complaints to the Speaker as well as the Legislative Secretary by email and also speed post. The party is also surprised at the absence of any response from the Assembly Speaker.

The other Opposition party, the BJP is also not in favour of such defections in Telangana and had demanded that the Speaker disqualify them. BJP Floor Leader Alleti Maheswar Reddy had recently expressed his displeasure over the Speaker’s reluctance to disqualify Danam Nagender as per rules. He said the Speaker should have disqualified him within the 90-day stipulated time.

Meanwhile, Keshava Rao’s decision to quit Rajya Sabha was welcomed by Congress MLC T Jeevan Reddy. “Keshava Rao was elected as Rajya Sabha MP from BRS and recently joined the Congress. While joining a new party, it is ethical to resign from the position offered by a party,” Reddy reportedly said in a statement issued on Thursday. Meanwhile, Keshava Rao told newsmen in New Delhi that he was now “feeling free and relieved”. “Telangana was achieved due to the Congress MPs’ fight and relentless struggle,” Rao said.

It was tough to gauge the performance of a government in just six months. However, the Congress came to power in Telangana, democratic governance was being delivered, he said. “In the past, only family publicity was witnessed. In the last six months, Telangana’s development programmes publicity is being noticed,” he added.