CPI MLA’s remarks on PM Modi spark anger in Telangana Assembly

Political tensions flared in the Telangana Legislative Assembly after CPI MLA Koonaneni Sambasiva Rao made critical remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The comments, made during a debate on employment guarantee schemes, drew sharp reactions from BJP lawmakers.

The controversy arose while the Assembly was discussing a resolution on employment guarantees. Koonaneni strongly criticized the NDA government for scrapping the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which was enacted under the UPA, and replacing it with the new VBG-RG Act. In the process, he reportedly made comments directed at Prime Minister Modi, which angered BJP members present in the Assembly.

BJP legislators immediately expressed their displeasure, and Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar said the remarks would be reviewed and, if found objectionable, removed from the official Assembly records.

Reacting to the comments, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar condemned them strongly. He said support for communist ideology has been declining across the country and that such careless remarks are partly to blame. He highlighted the rapid progress India has made under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, while Congress and communist politics have become limited to criticism and baseless attacks.

Bandi Sanjay also demanded that Koonaneni retract his statements and apologize to the Prime Minister. The incident has further heightened political tensions between central and state leaders in Telangana.