Ponnam rebukes ‘hypocritical’ BRS over MLA suspension protests

Hyderabad: State Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar rebuked BRS leaders for staging protests against the suspension of the BRS MLA Jagadish Reddy from the Assembly, describing their actions as absurd.

He pointed out that those who previously undermined democracy are now labeling the suspension as undemocratic. Prabhakar stressed the need for the BRS party to possess a fundamental grasp of democratic principles. He noted that while they understand the appropriate conduct expected in the Assembly, their intentional misconduct indicates ill intentions, prompting the people to take notice.

He also remarked that both Houses of the Legislature adhere to established traditions and protocols. The Minister accused the Opposition of making reckless remarks about the Speaker solely because he is a Dalit leader. The Minister recalled that during the BRS party’s tenure in power, they had resorted to throwing papers at the Chairman of the Legislative Council and suspending Opposition members, yet they did not raise concerns about democracy at that time. He stated that while the Chief Minister is the leader of democracy in the Legislative Houses, the Speaker is the head of the Assembly.

Prabhakar condemned the remark – “The Assembly does not belong to you alone” directed at the Speaker, calling it a violation of Parliamentary rights. “It is very unfortunate that the BRS leadership did not say that Jagadish Reddy’s words were wrong,” he added.