Telangana Assembly Winter Session Begins, KCR in Attendance

The Telangana Legislative Assembly’s winter session began on Monday with the attendance of BRS president and Leader of the Opposition K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) , marking his return to the House after a long gap. After completing the first day’s business, Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar adjourned the House till January 2 .

At the start of the session, the Assembly paid tributes to former MLAs R. Damodar Reddy and Konda Laxma Reddy , who passed away recently. Members observed two minutes of silence in their memory as a mark of respect.

KCR’s presence in the House drew significant political attention, as he has largely stayed away from Assembly proceedings over the past two years. Since the BRS lost power in the 2023 elections , the former Chief Minister has attended only a few sessions, including limited participation during recent budget meetings, making his appearance on the opening day of the winter session politically significant.

Despite sharp political differences between the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and other Congress leaders went to KCR’s seat and greeted him before the proceedings began. The handshake between the Chief Minister and the Opposition leader was seen as a gesture of parliamentary courtesy amid ongoing political tensions.

The Assembly is expected to witness intense debates when it reconvenes on January 2 , particularly on issues related to the Krishna and Godavari river water sharing . The Palamuru–Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project has already emerged as a flashpoint, with KCR accusing the Revanth Reddy government of failure after the Centre returned the project’s DPR. The Chief Minister has countered by questioning KCR’s prolonged absence from the House and his commitment to public issues.

After the Assembly proceedings, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy inspected renovation and modernisation works at the Telangana Legislative Council building along with Council Chairman Gutha Sukender Reddy and Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar . Officials briefed the Chief Minister on infrastructure upgrades, technological improvements, and safety measures, and he directed that the works be completed within the stipulated timeline without disrupting legislative activities.

Former minister and BRS MLA T. Harish Rao urged the Speaker to allow detailed discussions through PowerPoint presentations on key issues, particularly irrigation projects, in the Assembly. He said the BRS had demanded that the winter session be held for at least 15 days , but the Speaker informed them that proceedings would be limited to one week , followed by a Business Advisory Committee meeting .

Speaking during Zero Hour , Harish Rao said government employees were under severe stress due to the Congress government’s failure to implement key promises such as PRC revision, payment of pending DAs, clearance of arrears, and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme . He demanded immediate release of dues to employees, retired staff, and police personnel, and highlighted issues related to pending allowances and reduced health benefits for police personnel.

Minister Ponnam Prabhakar informed the House that a dedicated ‘Pravasi Prajavani’ centre has been established at Praja Bhavan to address grievances of migrant workers and families of those working abroad. He said special focus is being given to issues faced by workers in Gulf countries and urged youth seeking overseas employment to use the TOMCOM platform to ensure safe and legal job placements .