BRS members continue their protest against Telangana Chief Minister’s remarks for the second consecutive day

BRS leaders protest against remarks made by Telangana CM against women MLAs, demanding apology in Assembly.

The main Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) continued its protest against the remarks made by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on its two women MLAs for the second consecutive day in the Assembly on Thursday.

As the House assembled, the BRS members sporting black badges demanded that the Chief Minister tender unconditional apologies to the women members. With Speaker G. Prasad Kumar was allowing Industries and Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu to introduce the Bill on the Young India Skills University (Public Private Partnership) Bill 2024, the BRS members raised slogans against the Government demanding an apology from Mr. Reddy.

They trooped into the Well of the House with some members approaching the Speaker’s Podium. Din prevailed in the House for some time as the BRS members remained unrelenting to the Speaker’s request to them for resuming their seats. As the proceedings continued irrespective of their protest, over a dozen members of the main Opposition squatted in the Well and raised the slogans ‘Chief Minister down down’.

The Industries Minister continued his speech amid the prevailing din and some of the opposition members including the BJP, MIM and the CPI responded to the Skill University Bill extending their support to the initiative. Repeated requests of the Chair to the protesting members to allow the proceedings went in vain as they continued slogan shouting. After registering their protest for more than two hours, the BRS members, except the three women legislators of the party, staged a walkout from the House.

The Chief Minister who intervened in the debate exhorted the opposition members to engage in issue based debates and give their suggestions which the Government was prepared to take. “Why are they trying to take political mileage out of every issue?” he asked alleging that attempts were being made to stall the House on the pretext of women MLAs.

Mr. Revanth Reddy recalled how he had to face cases for campaigning in favour of V. Sunita Lakshma Reddy then in the Congress, without directly naming her. “I am continuing my efforts to wriggle out of the cases till date. But the sister who won the election shifted loyalties and took charge as Women’s Commission chairperson. She never thought of convincing the authorities concerned to drop cases against men,” he said.

He advised the women MLAs not to support BRS MLAs T. Harish Rao and K.T. Rama Rao as they were not speaking about their own relative (MLC Kalvakuntla Kavita) who was lodged in jail . Referring to BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, he said the “dora” (feudal lord) was not participating in the assembly proceedings as the Speaker was from dalit community. “I advise the sisters (women MLAs) not to fall pray for the tactics of the BRS president and part with the bad company,” he said.