Hyderabad: A heated exchange unfolded between Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and BRS MLA Gangula Kamalakar over various issues, including the controversial ‘pepper spray’ incident in Parliament from a decade ago. This incident involved Ponnam and then MP Lagadapati Rajagopal. The disagreement began during a discussion on improving infrastructure in Gurukulas and government schools.
As Minister Ponnam intervened in the discussion, BRS MLA Kamalakar accused him of politicizing the issue of Gurukulas. Kamalakar questioned whether the Minister had sufficient knowledge of Assembly and Parliamentary proceedings. This remark escalated tensions between the two.
Despite objections from Ponnam over what he called a “personal attack,” Kamalakar continued to provoke him by bringing up the ‘pepper spray’ incident and other past matters. The MLA even challenged Ponnam to clarify whether the pepper spray used against him back then was real or fake, further intensifying the argument.
The heated debate prompted intervention from Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu, who urged Kamalakar to refrain from making personal attacks and to focus on the topic of discussion. Supporting Ponnam’s stance, Sridhar Babu also requested Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to remove any “unparliamentary” language from the official records.
The exchange highlighted the lingering tensions and personal grievances between the two leaders, overshadowing the original discussion on improving education infrastructure.