Opposition slams Speaker’s verdict on defection cases, calls it blow to democracy

Opposition leaders from the BRS and BJP criticised the dismissal of disqualification petitions against MLAs Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari, saying the Speaker’s decision weakened democratic values and encouraged political defections in Telangana’s legislative system

Hyderabad: Opposition leaders strongly criticised the dismissal of disqualification petitions against MLAs Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari. Both the BRS and the BJP criticised the Speaker’s decision, which they said weakened democratic values and encouraged political defections in Telangana.

Former Minister and BRS MLA Vemula Prashanth Reddy said giving a clean chit to legislators who contested on a party symbol and had openly defected to the ruling party was disrespecting the people’s mandate. He said the verdict raised concerns that constitutional institutions were being used in favour of those in power and warned that such decisions could damage public trust in the legislative system.

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Former Minister S Niranjan Reddy termed the ruling a serious blow to democracy and questioned how leaders who had publicly associated with the ruling party, including contesting elections on its ticket, were cleared of defection charges. He stated that the decision exposed the Congress party’s double standards and would remain a blot on the State’s legislative history.

Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar also questioned the verdict, pointing out that the defections took place openly and were visible to the public. He asked how the lack of evidence could be cited when the MLAs had publicly joined the ruling party and even contested elections on its symbol.