The defecting MLAs attending the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting on Sunday is creating political uproar as it dismisses Congress claims that they are still BRS MLAs and not joined Congress.Moreover, they are facing cases in the High Court seeking their disqualification for their defections.
The controversy erupted recently when the Speaker appointed Arekapudi Gandhi, a BRS MLA but recently joined Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, as the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. As the Chairman of this Committee as per tradition goes to the nominee of the main opposition, the opposition parties took severe objection.
It is known that Arikepudi Gandhi, who won from the BRS has been strongly objecting that this is a bad tradition and that the post of PAC chairman should be given to a member of the opposition as per the custom.
But, both Gandhi and Congress leaders asserted that he didn’t joined Congress, still a BRS MLA. His surprising presence at the CLP meeting, addressed by the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy raising questions on his political affiliation. As many as four MLAs who won on the car symbol were seen attending the CLP meeting.
Former Minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao questioned Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu for logical explanation over “opposition” MLA Arekapudi Gandhi attending the Congress Legislative Party meeting. His remarks came in response to the Minister’s justification of appointing defected MLA Gandhi as Public Accounts Committee chairman, stating that the latter is a BRS MLA and did not join the ruling Congress.
However, Minister Sridhar Babu supporting Gandhi and other defecting MLAs presence at the CLP meeting, claimed that Gandhi came there to meet the Chief Minister as a `courtesy’, as that happens to be his constituency. But, Harish Rao refuted his claims.
“The attendance of BRS MLAs Kadiam Srihari and Arekapudi Gandhi at the CLP meeting was not a mere “courtesy call,” but a serious breach of political ethics. How can an MLA of one party attend another party’s LP meeting? This is not a ‘courtesy’ but a violation of constitutional conduct,” he added.
Harish Rao pointed out that while MLAs from opposition parties might meet the Chief Minister during government programmes in their respective constituencies, they would never attend the ruling party’s LP meetings as an opposition MLA.