Telangana Assembly Witnesses Tense Debate Over Allegations
The Telangana Assembly witnessed heated exchanges on Wednesday between the ruling and opposition members over allegations of corruption and misconduct. The discussions began with accusations of taking commissions from beneficiaries of the “Overseas Scholarship Scheme” and later escalated to claims that a minister attended the session under the influence of alcohol.
The controversy started when a BRS member alleged that a 10% commission was taken from students receiving scholarships. Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu intervened, urging members not to make defamatory remarks without proper notice and requested the withdrawal of such allegations. He emphasized maintaining decorum on the Assembly floor.
The Legislative Affairs Minister also criticized opposition members for their theatrics, referencing their attire. He remarked that the members had dressed as Ayyappa devotees the previous day and as auto drivers on Wednesday. He accused them of misleading the public, pointing out that while in power, they failed to address the concerns of auto drivers. “If they couldn’t solve these issues in ten years, how can they expect the current government to do it in ten months?” he said, adding that overseas scholarships were not stopped anywhere.
Speaker Gaddam Prasad took action to maintain order in the House. He expunged certain remarks made by Vivekanand from the records and reprimanded BRS leader KT Rama Rao for the behavior of new members. The Speaker also warned P. Kaushik Reddy of suspension if disruptions continued.
Government Whip Aadi Srinivas accused the BRS members of being preoccupied with commissions and referenced projects like “Commission Kakatiya” and “Commission Kaleshwaram.” He claimed that Rs 10,000 crore was amassed under schemes like Dalit Bandhu. The tension escalated further when R&B Minister K. Venkata Reddy alleged, with claims of evidence, that Harish Rao had accumulated Rs 10,000 crore.
In response, Harish Rao hit back by accusing some leaders of attending the Assembly under the influence of alcohol. He suggested that tests, similar to drunken driving checks, should be conducted at the Assembly. Government Whip Beerla Ilaiah retorted, referring to Harish Rao as “Matchbox Harish Rao” and making a controversial comment about his uncle falling from a helicopter. This led to protests from BRS members, who entered the well of the House demanding action.
Ministers Sridhar Babu and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy urged the Speaker to restore order in the House and requested the removal of objectionable remarks from the records. The Speaker assured members that the offensive words would be expunged to maintain the dignity of the proceedings.
