First Mass Suspension Since 2015! Here’s what happened

The Telangana Assembly witnessed another major confrontation between the ruling Congress and the Opposition BRS on Wednesday, with 22 BRS MLAs, including KTR and Harish Rao, being suspended for the remainder of the Monsoon Session.

The immediate trigger was a series of protests and disputes that had been building over the past few days.

BRS leaders had alleged that police manhandled their women MLAs during a protest outside the Assembly. The party wanted the issue discussed in the House, along with alleged remarks made by Congress MLA Veerlapally Shankar concerning former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Meanwhile, Congress had raised a separate issue involving BRS MLC T Madhusudhan, who was accused of making derogatory remarks against Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. Congress leaders highlighted that the Speaker is a Dalit and demanded action.

The dispute escalated after Congress workers and Dalit activists went to KCR’s farmhouse at Erravelli to protest against the alleged remarks. Congress subsequently alleged that BRS workers performed a “purification” ritual at the spot after the protesters left. BRS rejected the allegation and questioned the authenticity of material being circulated about the incident. KTR stated that the alleged images about it were actually AI generated.

Meanwhile, CM Revanth Reddy said that the government has taken the issue very seriously and stated that action would be taken based on the relevant sections of the BNS and prevention of SC/ST Atrocities Act.

These competing issues came together in the Assembly on Wednesday.

BRS MLAs demanded that their issues be taken up and entered the Well of the House, raising slogans. After repeated appeals to return to their seats, Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu moved a suspension motion. The Speaker then suspended 22 BRS MLAs for the remainder of the session.

This is the second time in Telangana’s history that a bulk suspension happened for the remainder of the session. In 2015, 30 opposition MLAs of TDP, Congress, BJP, CPI, and CPI(M) were suspended for the entire monsoon session.

Earlier this year, 24 BRS MLAs were suspended but that was only for two days.

For the Assembly, the immediate question now is how proceedings will continue with most of the principal Opposition party’s legislators suspended.

The Congress government is saying that the repeated disruptions by the BRS is an attempt to paralyse the House while the BRS is saying that this is an attempt by the government to silence the opposition.

For both Congress and BRS, the episode adds another chapter to an increasingly confrontational relationship inside the Telangana legislature.

Tags BRS