HYDERABAD – A significant political stir is brewing in Telangana as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has vehemently dismissed recent statements from Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari, who recently switched allegiance from BRS to Congress before the Lok Sabha elections. Srihari had stated that the Assembly Speaker would determine his party affiliation, a comment BRS leaders have labeled as “senseless.”
On Monday, BRS legislators G. Jagadish Reddy, Padi Kaushik Reddy, and Dr. K. Sanjay formally submitted what they referred to as ‘proof’ of the defections to the Legislature Secretary. Following this, they addressed the media, accusing the defecting MLAs of not only betraying their party but, more critically, deceiving the very constituents who elected them on the BRS symbol.
The BRS representatives voiced their expectation that the Speaker would make an impartial decision regarding the MLAs’ defections. They asserted that regardless of the official ruling, the public already understands the true nature of these opportunistic switches. Furthermore, the legislators insisted that bye-elections are an unavoidable consequence for the affected constituencies, predicting a definitive defeat for the defecting MLAs.
Highlighting the historical context, the BRS MLAs pointed out that the Anti-Defection Law predates the formation of their own party (then TRS). They criticized the Congress party, alleging that it was the pioneer in encouraging such defections within the country and continues this practice to this day.
The BRS leaders also took the opportunity to respond to Union Minister Bandi Sanjay’s remarks concerning the BRS party and the vehicles used by BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao. The MLAs clarified that Mr. Rama Rao acquired his vehicles from the same sources as Mr. Sanjay, scoffing at the notion that Mr. Rama Rao was relying on ‘second-hand cars.’ This retort underscored the intense political exchanges currently dominating the state’s discourse.