Telangana Assembly winter session begins in Hyderabad, KCR to attend

Telangana Assembly’s winter session began amid political tension, focusing on river water sharing and irrigation projects. Question Hour was cancelled, tributes paid, key papers tabled, and opposition demanded a longer session as protests and heated debates loom inside the House

Hyderabad: The winter session of Telangana Assembly began on Monday amid heightened political tension, with river water sharing and irrigation projects set to dominate the proceedings. The Legislative Assembly and Council convened at 10.30 am, with Question Hour cancelled in both Houses.

The rest of the opening day will be devoted to condolence resolutions. The Assembly will pay tributes to late MLAs Ram Reddy Damodar Reddy and Konda Lakshma Reddy, while the Council will remember former MLCs Madhavaram Jagapathi Rao and Ahmed Peer Shabbir.

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Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, and Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and D Seethakka will table key papers. The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting after adjournment will decide the length of the session, with the opposition BRS insisting on at least 15 days.

Leader of Opposition and BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, who arrived in Hyderabad on Sunday evening, has left his Nandinagar residence to the Assembly this morning. He was accompanied by former Ministers G Jagadish Reddy and Vemula Prashanth Reddy. The party cadre and public who gathered in large numbers outside his residence, showered flower petals as his vehicle left. BRS legislators KT Rama Rao, T Harish Rao and others have already reached the Assembly to receive the former Chief Minister upon arrival.

Debates are expected to centre on Krishna and Godavari river waters. The BRS is pressing for a discussion on the reduced allocation to the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme. While the government plans a detailed PowerPoint presentation on river projects, the BRS has demanded equal opportunity to present its case.

The Assembly will also elect a Deputy Speaker and take up bills earlier promulgated through ordinances. The BJP has announced it will raise public issues, while the government has appealed for orderly proceedings.

Security has been strengthened around the Assembly, anticipating protests by BRS MLAs. Adding to the pressure, the Telangana Sarpanches Associations JAC has called a ‘Chalo Assembly’ protest, demanding clearance of pending gram panchayat bills, setting the stage for a high-voltage session both inside and outside the House.