BRS welcomes Telangana High Court direction on MLAs disqualification petition- NSP NEWS

File photo of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and MLA, K.T. Rama Rao along with party senior MLA T. Harish Rao and others.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has welcomed the directions of the Telangana High Court to the office of the Legislative Assembly Speaker to announce the schedule to hear the disqualification petitions filed by the Opposition party against its MLAs Danam Nagender, Kadiyam Srihari and Tellam Venkata Rao, who have shifted their loyalties to the ruling Congress party.

In separate statements, working president of the party K.T. Rama Rao, senior leader of BRS and former minister T. Harish Rao, former ministers V. Prashanth Reddy and S. Niranjanay Reddy said on Monday (September 9, 2024) that the ruling is significant in the backdrop of a total of 10 MLAs from the party joining the ruling party. Besides, seven MLCs too switched their loyalties to the Congress. “It’s a setback to Congress and its undemocratic practices. It clearly shows that those who switch parties can’t escape disqualification”, they noted.

The court decision is a victory for democracy and a strong stand in upholding the values of the Constitution, the BRS leaders said. Following the disqualification of the defected MLAs, by-elections in the constituencies represented by them are inevitable, and ‘we are confident that the BRS will emerge victorious’, they said.

The BRS is of the belief that the speaker of the Assembly will act promptly following the court’s directive to safeguard the democracy by making a decision within the next four weeks, they said.

BRS MLAs, MLCs and MP who joined Congress

Besides the three MLAs who figure in the Monday’s High Court ruling, seven other BRS MLAs – Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, M. Sanjay, Kale Yadaiah, Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, T. Prakash Goud, Arekapudi Gandhi and Gudem Mahipal Reddy – have joined the ruling party so far. There was speculation that Vijayudu (Alampur) too would take the plunge but it did not happen for some political reasons.

Mr. Nagender not only switched over to the Congress but was also given a ticket by the latter to contest the Lok Sabha election as its candidate from Secunderabad seat earlier this year.

Similarly, seven BRS MLCs – Patnam Mahender Reddy, Buggarapu Daynand, M.S. Prabhakar Rao, T. Bhanu Prasad Rao, Baswaraju Saraiah, Dande Vithal and Yegge Mallesham have shifted loaylities to the ruling party. Council Chairman Gutha Sukender Reddy, who is a BRS MLC, is also siding with the ruling party following his son Gutha Amith Reddy joining the Congress before the Lok Sabha elections. Later, he was appointed as the Chairman of the State Dairy Development Co-operative Federation Limited.

Further, BRS MP (Rajya Sabha) K. Keshava Rao joined the Congress and resigned his post. He was later appointed as the Political Advisor to the State Government.