Hyderabad: The Assembly saw a heated debate after BRS MLA P Kaushik Reddy made comments about Women and Child Welfare Minister Seethakka. The issue was about auto drivers affected by the Mahalakshmi scheme, which allows free bus travel.
During a discussion on grant demands, Kaushik Reddy claimed that Seethakka did not know about the previous BRS government’s efforts to help drivers. This led to an outcry, with government whip Adi Srinivas demanding an apology from Reddy. Both treasury and opposition benches got involved in the uproar.
Earlier, the Huzurabad MLA urged the government to support auto drivers. He asked the ruling Congress to fulfill its promise of providing Rs 10,000 monthly financial assistance, especially since women are using free bus rides. Seethakka responded, advising the MLA not to link the struggles of auto drivers with the Mahalakshmi scheme. She accused BRS of having double standards by demanding more buses while also inciting auto drivers.
After Kaushik Reddy’s remarks, Seethakka felt he was being overbearing. Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu called Reddy a first-time MLA and asked him to correct himself, withdraw his comments, and apologize. Babu also suggested that Reddy was speaking on behalf of former minister K T Rama Rao. The speaker later removed Reddy’s comments from the record.
