Stormy budget debate in Assembly as Harish Rao, Ministers clash over interruptions

Heated exchanges marked the Telangana Assembly budget discussion as BRS leader T Harish Rao accused the ruling Congress of silencing the Opposition amid repeated interruptions by Ministers, triggering protests and sharp arguments between both sides.

Hyderabad: Heated exchanges were witnessed in the Assembly during the budget discussion on Monday, as repeated interruptions by Ministers led to sharp arguments between the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS. BRSLP deputy leader T Harish Rao, who participated in the debate, accused the government of trying to silence the Opposition.

Harish Rao, who spoke extensively on the budget preparation, spoke for nearly two hours, but not without disruptions from the ruling party. Soon after he began his speech, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Ministers D Seethakka, Jupally Krishna Rao, D Sridhar Babu, Adluri Laxman and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy repeatedly intervened, triggering protests from BRS members.

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Objecting to the interruptions, Harish Rao questioned why the government, which claimed to welcome constructive suggestions from the Opposition, was reluctant to let him complete his speech during the budget debate.

BRSLP deputy leader Talasani Srinivas Yadav raised objections to repeated disruptions, accusing the government of denying adequate time to the Opposition. He said the House announced a 15-minute tea break but resumed only after more than two hours. He also recalled that during the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s Address, BRS members waited patiently for nearly five hours for the Chief Minister to return from Delhi to reply.

Minister D Sridhar Babu rejected the charge, accusing Srinivas Yadav of misleading the House. The BRS member shot back that the Opposition waited out of respect for the Speaker and the Leader of the House, but was now being prevented from raising public issues. He also alleged double standards, pointing out that remarks made earlier by BRS member KT Rama Rao were expunged as unparliamentary, while abusive remarks by the Chief Minister against the Opposition were retained on record.

Bhatti Vikramarka maintained that the debate was being conducted democratically and said the Ministers were only clarifying points raised by Harish Rao.

The tense atmosphere briefly eased when Harish Rao said he skipped lunch and lost sleep preparing for the debate, prompting Sridhar Babu to quip that the Deputy Chief Minister had skipped even breakfast to reply to members, drawing laughter from both sides.