Hyderabad, Sep 8 (PTI) The controversy surrounding two BRS MLCs’ alleged derogatory remarks against Telangana Assembly Speaker’s mother snowballed on Tuesday leading to their arrest, suspension from the Council and an Assembly resolution condemning their remarks.
BRS MLCs Tata Madhusudhan and N Naveen Kumar Reddy were Tuesday suspended for the remainder of the Legislative Council session for the alleged derogatory remarks made by them against Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar.
As the row intensified, the Assembly adopted a resolution condemning their alleged comments, while also resolving that BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) should take responsibility for his party members’ unbecoming conduct and tender an unconditional apology to the Speaker.
On a day of dramatic developments, Madhusudhan and Naveen Kumar Reddy were arrested on Tuesday morning in connection with a case registered against them under relevant sections of the BNS and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities).
However, they were released later in the day after the court’s rejection of their remands.
The Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Assembly Speaker, in a complaint lodged at Saifabad police station, accused Madhusudan and Naveen Kumar of using derogatory and abusive language against the Speaker on September 7 when BRS MLAs and MLCs were stopped by police at an entrance gate of the legislature complex.
The “derogatory” remarks of Madhusudhan, allegedly against the Speaker’s mother, led to a massive political row with ruling Congress contending that they are an insult to Dalits of Telangana as the Speaker is a Dalit leader.
The Speaker said he was “angry” since his mother was targeted by the opposition MLCs.
After their arrest, the two MLCs were produced before a local court, which rejected police seeking their remand and directed them to furnish a personal bond of Rs 20,000 each with two sureties each.
In the Legislative Council, Chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy announced the suspension of Madhusudhan and Naveen Kumar Reddy following a motion moved by Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu.
Following their suspension, a dramatic scene unfolded at the Legislative Council’s Media Point when marshals stopped Madhusudhan as he addressed the media and forcibly removed him, despite his resistance.
The marshals’ action occurred because rules state that suspended MLCs should exit the premises in a dignified manner, an official told PTI.
The Assembly resolution, moved by Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha, resolved to forward a copy to the Chairman of the Legislative Council to take appropriate action against Madhusudhan and Naveen Kumar Reddy as they are members of the upper house.
“This House records its strongest condemnation and profound disapproval of the highly derogatory, insulting and unparliamentary utterances purported to have been made by Tata Madhusudhan and N Naveen Kumar Reddy, both Members of the Telangana Legislative Council belonging to BRS Party, on September 7 within the Assembly precincts near Gate No 3 against the Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly,” it said.
The resolution also condemned the indecent behaviour of the two BRS members by removing the T-shirts in public before women, which, it said, besides being highly objectionable, also amounts to outraging the modesty of the women present at the place of the incident.
The row over Madhusudhan’s alleged derogatory remarks rocked the Assembly for the second day on Tuesday.
The Speaker also told the opposition party that he should be “angry,” since the comments “were made against my mother.” Soon after the House met, BRS MLA T Harish Rao sought action over the alleged high-handed behaviour of police against BRS women MLAs on Monday. He alleged that the saree of a woman MLA was pulled and police behaved in a high-handed manner against another MLA P Sabita Indra Reddy following which the BRS complained to the Hyderabad Commissioner of Police.
However, instead of acting on the complaint, cases were registered against Sabita Indra Reddy, Sunita Laxmareddy and other women MLAs of BRS, he said.
Speaker Prasad Kumar said the House respected its women members, but Harish Rao said he is anguished that women colleagues were at the receiving end of police action.
Referring to Madhusudhan’s alleged derogatory remarks against him, Speaker Prasad Kumar said he has the right to be angry as the remarks involved his mother.
“I should be angry. Not you. Comments were not against your mother. They were made against my mother. I should be angry. How can you be angry,” the Speaker asked.
Congress leaders and workers also organised protests at several places in the state over the issue. The ruling party’s women MLAs submitted a petition to the State Women’s Commission.
Scores of Congress workers and Dalit activists marched towards BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao’s farmhouse at Erravelli near here, demanding an apology. Police made elaborate security arrangements at the farmhouse and stopped the protesters before they could reach it.
Police took BRS leader K T Rama Rao and other party leaders, who started for the farmhouse, into preventive custody to avoid any law and order issues. They were later released.
“Chief Minister (A Revanth Reddy) and police are trying to attack our leader. We are not being allowed to go to our home. This is an attempt to kill our leader by Congress goondas. Reddy, who is handling the Home portfolio, should take responsibility for this,” Rama Rao said.
Separately, a group of BRS cadres and Congress workers clashed outside the Bowenpally police station where Rama Rao was taken.
Meanwhile, BRS leader R S Praveen Kumar said he has complained to the Banjara Hills police over the alleged comments of Congress MLA V Shankar that he and his colleagues “wish the death of KCR”.
Praveen Kumar said he sought the case to be booked against the MLA and also CM Revanth Reddy. PTI SJR VVK SJR SA
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