Congress moves to get defectors disqualified

The Telangana Congress has stepped up pressure on the TRS government, seeking disqualification of two of its MLCs who defected to the ruling party.

The Congress Legislature Party petitioned Legislative Council chairman Swami Goud on Thursday, seeking disqualification of Farooq Hussain, nominated under Governor’s quota but affiliated to the Congress, and M.S. Prabhakar, elected on the Congress ticket, for defecting to the TRS recently.

The party also took a swipe at Chief KCR achieved the dubious distinction of engineering 47 defections in just 48 months. This is shameful and an open violation of the Constitution

— Congress leader Minister and TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao for creating a record of sorts in the country by luring a whopping 47 legislators -- four MPs, 25 MLAs and 18 MLCs - - in a span of 48 months to his party fold.

Leader of Opposition in the the Council, Mohd Ali Shabbir and Congress MLC P. Sudhakar Reddy met Swami Goud and submitted a 47-page petition along evidence, of the party’s MLCs joining the TRS. The evidence included photographs, wearing of pink khandwas, video tapes etc.

Mr Goud promised to look into the issue.

CLP leader K. Jana Reddy too is contemplating seeking similar action against Bhaskar Rao, who joined the TRS recently.

Congress, which had filed similar petitions in the past and also moved High Court, decided to implead again against two MLCs. Congress leader and leader of opposition in Legislative Council, Mr. Shabbir Ali has strongly condemned the hike in RTC fares and power tariff by the TRS government.

Speaking to media, he accused Chief Minister of mishandling both RTC and Energy Departments.

“Instead of taking measures to improve the functioning of RTC during last two years, the TRS government pushed the corporation into a crisis and now it is threatening to close it down. The government has failed to generate a single MW of additional power in the last two years. But it has cleared hike in power tariff. Congress will launch a mass agitation against the proposed hikes,” he said.

Meanwhile, TS TD president L. Ramana criticised the TRS government on agreeing to hike RTC bus fares which he said would burden the poor.

“While the CM is claiming that the state is rich, why is he putting burden on the poor and middleclass by hiking power tariff and RTC fares? It will be additional burden on the middleclass which is suffering with rise in price of essential commodities,” he said.