HYDERABAD: The opportunity given by Speaker S. Madhusudana Chary to Khammam legislator Puvvada Ajay Kumar to participate in the debate on the industrial policy of the State government in the Telangana Assembly on Monday led to heated exchanges between the Congress and Treasury benches.
Ahead of by-election to Palair constituency in May this year, Mr. Ajay Kumar who was elected on the Congress ticket in 2014 elections switched loyalties to the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in April and has been sitting in the Treasury benches during the ongoing Winter Session of the Assembly and also during the one-day session in August.
The Speaker’s decision to allow Mr. Ajay Kumar to speak as the third participant after S.A. Sampath Kumar (Congress) and Kausar Moinuddin (MIM) agitated the Congress members. Deputy Floor Leader of Congress T. Jeevan Reddy raised a point of order even as Mr. Ajay Kumar commenced his speech and sought to know from the Chair as to how the latter would be given chance when N. Uttam Kumar Reddy’s name was given as the second speaker from the party.
Discretionary powers
Ten Congress members went into the well and later to the podium protesting the Chair’s decision and raised slogans. The Speaker, however, told the agitating members that he had given the chance to speak to Mr. Ajay Kumar using his (Chair’s) discretionary powers. Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari also intervened and said members could not question the Chair on giving the opportunity to any member to speak.
Minister for Industries K. Taraka Rama Rao also raised a point of order stating that the issue (defection of members) was in the Speaker’s purview and the Congress could not raise it. He pointed out that the then Speaker did not take any decision after TRS members defected to the Congress after 2004 elections. Leader of the Opposition K. Jana Reddy, however, objected to the Chair allowing the Minister to speak attacking the Congress.
What ensued later was arguments quoting law books and Assembly procedures by the Congress members and Treasury benches. The discussion resumed only after almost an hour during which the Congress members went into the well two more times and Mr. Jana Reddy called it amends stating that they would cooperate with the Chair “although we (Congress members) have different opinions about the proceedings”.
