Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Tuesday urged Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to disqualify all 10 BRS MLAs who defected to the ruling Congress party.
A delegation of BRS leaders led by party working president K. T. Rama Rao met the Speaker and presented a memorandum.
Rama Rao told the media after the meeting that they demanded the disqualification of turncoat MLAs under the Anti-Defection Act.
The BRS leader said since the party had already petitioned the Speaker for the disqualification of D. Nagender, they demanded the disqualification of the remaining nine MLAs.
The BRS delegation demanded the Speaker to immediately take a decision on their disqualification petition.
“We hope that the Speaker will take a decision soon on disqualification of defected MLAs. If he fails to take a decision, we will approach the Supreme Court,” he said.
The BRS leaders brought to the Speaker’s notice that as per the Supreme Court judgment, the Speaker has to make a decision on disqualification within three months.
The Speaker was also informed that in accordance with the Supreme Court order, a Congress MLA was disqualified in Manipur for defection.
The opposition party leaders demanded the Speaker to take a decision as per the Supreme Court order. The Speaker was told that if he failed to follow the Supreme Court order, this would bring disrepute to the post.
KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, said on the one hand Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posing for pictures in Delhi with the Constitution in his hands and claiming to protect it while on the other Congress party is throwing the same Constitution to wind in Telangana.
The BRS working president Rahul Gandhi was raising a hue and cry over defections in other states but was encouraging defections in Telangana.
KTR also brought to the Speaker’s notice that the Congress party in its election manifesto had promised that legislation would be brought for automatic disqualification of legislators defecting to other parties.
The BRS leader said they informed the Speaker that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddramaiah has alleged that BJP is trying to buy each Congress MLA for Rs.50 crore and asked him to think how many crores are changing hands in Telangana for the purchase of BRS MLAs.
He said the Speaker was also reminded that Rahul Gandhi administered an oath to Congress candidates in Goa that they would not defect to another party.