BRS member G. Jagadish Reddy suspended for remainder of Assembly session

Telangana MLA suspended for insulting Speaker, sparking debate on democracy and opposition stifling in Assembly.

HYDERABAD

The Telangana Legislative Assembly has suspended Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) member G. Jagadish Reddy, Suryapet MLA, for the remainder of the session for making “insulting remarks and derogatory comments against the institution of the Speaker” during the discussion on motion thanking the Governor’s address on Thursday (March 13, 2025).

The motion for suspension of the member was moved by the Minster for Legislative Affairs D. Sridhar Babu and with a voice vote it was adopted and the Chair Gaddam Prasad Kumar announced the suspension and asked the member suspended from the service of the House to leave.

After the House was adjourned midway of Mr. Reddy’s speech on the motion thanking the Governor’s address, it re-assembled after a gap of about four hours to take up the matter of the BRS member’s comments on the Chair. Members of the Treasury benches including Vemula Veeresham, J. Ramachandru Naik and M. Samuel said the BRS member had insulted and disrespected the Speaker’s institution and action be taken against him by expelling him from the House or suspending his membership till the end of the tenure.

Ministers D. Seethakka, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, M. Bhatti Vikramarka and D. Sridhar Babu also spoke about the instance of the House acting against members speaking against the Chair and hard decisions needed to be taken to precent recurrence of such outbursts. Citing the Parliamentary rules and procedures by Kaul and Shakdher, Mr. Sridhar Babu said no comment be made by a member against the Speaker/Chair either inside or outside the House and any comment would amount to contempt.

Mr. Uttam Reddy and Mr. Vikramarka suggested that the matter be referred to the Ethics Committee for taking a decision after suspending the member for the remainder of the current session.

As the BRS members’ plea for an opportunity to speak even after the announcement of suspension, they staged a walkout and headed straight to the 125-foot B.R. Ambedkar statue near the Secretariat and staged a demonstration there, protesting for suspending the member without even giving an opportunity to him and said it was the reflection of the government’s attitude of stifling the Opposition.