BRS stages walkout from Telangana Assembly, accuses Speaker of bias

The main opposition party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), on Friday staged a walkout from the winter session of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, accusing Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar of displaying partisan behavior.

BRS leaders expressed frustration that the Assembly is being run like a one-party show by the ruling Congress and that their voices are being suppressed. They also announced that the party would not present a PowerPoint on Krishna river waters and the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation projects at Telangana Bhavan that morning.

Speaking to reporters, BRS senior MLA and Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Assembly T. Harish Rao criticized the Speaker for partiality, saying the Speaker is preventing them from raising concerns about Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. “If we are not allowed to speak against the Chief Minister, what’s the point of even attending the Assembly? That is why BRS is boycotting the session,” he said.

Harish Rao stressed that it is the Speaker’s responsibility to ensure all parties have equal rights in the House. “Currently, the Assembly is being run like a Congress office. Even when the Chief Minister attacks BRS with defamatory language, we are not given a chance to respond,” he said.

The walkout, he added, is a protest against the one-sided conduct of the session. Harish Rao also strongly condemned Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s remarks justifying criticism of BRS leaders, including K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) and himself, over water projects, calling the comments undemocratic and aggressive.

He further alleged that the Chief Minister is engaging in corrupt practices, such as imposing so-called “RR taxes” on building approvals, charging bribes per square foot, and effectively institutionalizing corruption.

BRS party MLA Palla Rajeswar Reddy said that they were not given an opportunity to speak in the Assembly. He expressed his anger, stating that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy made harsh and insulting comments against opposition leaders.

BRS MLA Talasani Srinivas Yadav strongly criticised Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. He said that only the Chief Minister is being allowed to speak in the Assembly, while the opposition is denied its right to speak. He alleged that the Assembly is being run like a Congress party office. As a mark of protest, they staged a walkout.

Reacting to these allegations, Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao strongly criticised former minister Harish Rao and the BRS party. Speaking to the media on Friday, he reminded them of the undemocratic actions that took place during the previous BRS government. He mocked Harish Rao’s claims and referred to incidents from 2018, when BRS was in power.

Jupally questioned whether Harish Rao had forgotten that two Congress MLAs were suspended from the Assembly in 2018 on the excuse of creating disturbance, when Harish Rao himself was the Minister for Legislative Affairs. He also recalled that former opposition leader K. Jana Reddy was often denied a chance to speak during the BRS rule.

The minister said that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is giving scope for detailed discussion on all issues, including who is responsible for mistakes, injustice done to Mahabubnagar district, and corruption related to Krishna river water. However, he alleged that BRS members are avoiding Assembly discussions because they fear that the truth about expenses, letters written to Delhi, and corruption will come out.

Referring to BRS president KCR’s recent statement that he would challenge the Congress government on water issues, Jupally said the Chief Minister had invited him for a discussion in the Assembly. He urged BRS, as the main opposition party, to attend Assembly sessions and question the government openly.

Jupally stated that the Assembly provides equal opportunity for discussion to all parties and that the Chief Minister invites everyone to speak with equal rights. He criticised BRS for boycotting the sessions and accused them of avoiding democratic debate.

He concluded by saying that if BRS members truly want to bring out facts about governance, they should participate in discussions, and that Assembly proceedings should continue in line with democratic values.