In just over three months since the Telangana Assembly has been constituted, three disqualification petitions have been received by Speaker S. Madhusudhana Chary while his counterpart in the Council K. Swamy Goud has to deal with at least half a dozen such pleas against the MLCs.
Two Congress legislators G. Vithal Reddy (Mudhole) and Koram Kanakaiah (Yellandu) and a YSR Congress MLA B. Madanlal (Wyra) joined the TRS in the recent past prompting the legislature parties to petition the Speaker. Half of the Congress MLCs in the Council have crossed over to the TRS in recent past forcing the leader of Opposition D. Srinivas to file a petition seeking their disqualification.
Congress Legislature Party leader K. Jana Reddy too met the Speaker twice to complain against the two party legislators. On Thursday, the YSRC Legislature Party leaders met the Speaker and sought the disqualification of Wyra MLA under the provisions of Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
Informed sources said notices have been issued to all the members facing disqualification under the Anti-Defection law. “Notices have been served and many of them have replied to the presiding officers seeking some more time,” sources said maintaining that the legislature parties as well as the respondents would be heard before any decision was taken.
It was pointed out that it was left to the legislature parties to approach the Speaker or the Chairman seeking disciplinary action if the members were indulging in anti party activities. Referring to the four TDP MLAs assertion to support the TRS for rebuilding Telangana, sources said the statements made by such members could be used to prove that they had acted against parties’ interest. Sources said unless the legislature party petitioned the presiding officers, action could not be initiated against those members.
It may be mentioned here that the previous Assembly witnessed the highest number of over 30 disqualifications when several Congress and TDP legislators joined the YSR Congress. Similarly, some Congress and TDP MLAs, who had defected to the TRS, were also disqualified.
