Inflammatory remarks by Energy Minister G. Jagdish Reddy against Congress members during the question hour led to an uproar in the Telangana Assembly on Wednesday.
It happened when a question raised by Congress members D.K. Aruna and C. Ram Mohan Reddy on thermal power projects in Mahabubnagar district was being discussed.
Decrying the tone and tenor of Mr. Jagdish Reddy’s reply, Congress member G. Chinna Reddy said that the former would do well if he was restrained since he was only a first-time MLA who had become a Minister with the blessings of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
Mr. Jagdish Reddy flew into a rage and uttered remarks that were later expunged from records. The Congress members then stormed the well demanding an apology even as Speaker S. Madhusudhana Chary kept urging the agitated members to resume their seats. But his words went unheeded.
Minister for Legislative Affairs T. Harish Rao said if the Congress members wanted to speak, they could take the microphone instead of rushing towards the Speaker’s podium. As the situation continued to remain the same, the Speaker adjourned the House, at least thrice.
The issue was resolved in the evening session of the House after the arrival of the Chief Minister. He counselled both sides to take the heat generated in the House in a witty manner.
The usage of such words by the Minister was wrong, but equally wrong was Mr. Chinna Reddy in provoking the former. He recalled that he sympathised with Mr. Reddy for not getting Ministerial berth initially when he met Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Leader of Opposition K. Jana Reddy said the Congress had been consciously observing restraint in the House to show that its members were not frustrated out of losing power.
