T TDP MLAs stage dharna against defectors

Hyderabad: Telangana TDP MLAs on Monday held a protest at the chambers of Speaker S Madhusudan Chary in Legislative Assembly premises demanding immediate action against Commercial Taxes Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav and other MLAs who defected to ruling TRS.

The TDP MLAs, including Telangana TDP President L Ramana and Legislature Party leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao called on Speaker and urged him to give a deadline by which he proposes to take action on the disqualification petitions submitted against defectors. They asked him to take immediate action against Talasani who was continuing on the Minister's post as TDP MLA in violation of Anti-Defection Law.

They pointed out that more than eight months have passed since Talasani submitted his resignation as MLA from Sanathnagar constituency and the Speaker was yet to take action. Although the Speaker assured to take appropriate action as per the rules, the TDP MLAs insisted on giving a deadline for the same. On refusal, the TDP MLAs staged dharna before the Speaker’s chambers.

They continued the dharna even after the Speaker left the Assembly premises. The TDP MLAs refused to leave the Assembly premises unless the Speaker gives a concrete assurance. After about three hours, the city police swung into action and took the protesting MLAs into custody and escorted them out of the premises.

Reacting on the development, Congress MLC MS Prabhakar condemned the arrest of TDP MLAs and said that Congress party too would meet the Speaker on the issue of defectors in the next two or three days.