Telangana Assembly: BRS stages walkout after Komatireddy’s comments

During question hour, former Roads and Buildings Minister V Prashanth Reddy and Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy indulged in a verbal duel over road infrastructure development in the State

Hyderabad: Protesting against the attitude of the Treasury benches towards opposition benches, BRS members staged a walkout from the Assembly on Saturday.

During question hour, former Roads and Buildings Minister V Prashanth Reddy and Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy indulged in a verbal duel over road infrastructure development in the State.

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Prashanth Reddy said during the BRS regime, 8672 km of double lane roads and 669 km of four lane roads were developed at a cost of nearly Rs 22,000 crore.

In contrast, the Congress government in the last 10 months developed only 55 km of the targeted 769 km, he said referring to the budget speech of Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.

He also sought a reply from the Roads and Buildings Minister over the development of roads under the proposed Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).

Responding to Prashanth Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said the BRS government did not complete the Uppal flyover in the last 10 years. Staying oblivious to the fact that it was a National Highways project, he said the Congress government was expediting works and they would be completed in 18 months.

“Prashanth Reddy was busy performing pujas and yagas and constructing the Secretariat, besides being occupied at Pragathi Bhavan,” Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said.

Immediately, the former Minister shot back saying: “Speaker sir, I performing pujas and yagas as I am spiritual and believe in God. What’s wrong with it?”

“I posed a straight question to the R&B Minister as how the government would raise Rs 11,200 crore for its 40 per cent share in the HAM model and how it will repay the contractors the 60 per cent share in the HAM works. Without replying to these queries, the Minister is finding fault with my beliefs,” he said.

In response, the Minister claimed that he had made a casual comment about the former Minister being busy performing pujas and yagas, besides constructing the Secretariat. Protesting against the Minister’s attitude, the BRS members staged walked out from the House.