Congress’ Revanth set to take on TRS

Rahul Gandhi, the vice president of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), admitted former Telugu Desam leader Revanth Reddy and 18 of his associates into the Congress on Tuesday.

Mr Revanth Reddy addressed a media conference at the AICC headquarters in the national capital later in the evening and said that the TRS party had promised a “Bangaru Telangana” while coming to power three-and-a-half years ago, but it had failed to live up to its promises.

Congress MLAs on Tuesday boycotted the Assembly proceedings, accusing the ruling TRS and Speaker S. Madhusudana Chary of being ‘dictatorial’.

After a heated argument with TRS MLAs and the Speaker, Leader of the Opposition K. Jana Reddy led the walkout in the morning and later announced that the party would boycott the entire day’s proceedings.

Mr Reddy told newsmen that it became a routine practice for the ruling party to muffle the voice of the Opposition by frequently interfering and even forcing the Speaker not to allow the Congress MLAs to speak. “This is most undemocratic,” Mr Reddy said, adding that often, the Speaker is noticed looking for directions from the ruling party so that the attempts of the main Opposition party to bring the genuine demands of the people to the notice of the Assembly are foiled.

Stating that the Congress did not agree to any change in Business Advisory Committee meeting, Mr Reddy reiterated his earlier demand that Adjournment Motion must be taken up at the start of the day and after Question Hour.

He said when the notice for adjournment motion was part of the Assembly procedure, how could the ruling party deny the Opposition the opportunity to make a mention. Mr Reddy said that no Opposition MLA was seen on TV in the live telecast of the proceedings, even when they were speaking.