HYDERABAD: Corruption case booked against former minister K. T. Rama Rao in connection with the Formula-E car race rocked the Telangana State Assembly on Friday with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) insisting on a debate on the issue.
The House witnessed uproarious scenes as the BRS members stalled the proceedings to demand the debate.
As soon as the House met for the day, the BRS raised the issue of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) booking a case against the BRS working president and demanded a debate.
Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar rejected the demand for the debate and tried to proceed with the listed agenda for the day. The BRS tried to disrupt the proceedings by raising slogans against the government.
Congress MLA R. Prakash Reddy said when the Governor has given permission to register a case against KTR and the ACB has taken up the investigation, there is no scope for discussion in the House. He alleged that BRS was trying to create confusion among people.
The Speaker asked BRS members to participate in the debate on the Telangana Bhu Bharati (Record of Rights in Land) Bill, 2024. He remarked that the "Formula E-race relates to one person while the Bhu Bharati Bill relates to people."
When Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy was speaking on the Bhu Bharati (Record of Rights in Land) Bill, 2024, BRS members tried to advance towards the Speaker's podium while marshals intervened to stop them. Some BRS members threw pieces of paper towards the Speaker. Amid the pandemonium, some Congress MLAs tore papers and flung them towards BRS members, leading to utter chaos.
BRS members alleged that Congress MLA Veernapally Shankar showed a shoe to a Dalit legislator. They demanded that a case be booked against the Congress MLA.
Amid the uproar, the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes. When the House re-assembled, the BRS continued its protest demanding debate on the ACB case.
Despite repeated appeals by the Speaker to allow the House to continue its proceedings, the BRS members remained in the well, demanding a debate.
The Speaker adjourned the House for the second time and called BRS MLAs to his chambers.
He appealed to them to cooperate in running the House. They demanded that the discussion be allowed on the Formula-E race case. The Speaker said he would discuss their demand with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who is the leader of the House and take a decision.
Earlier, speaking on the issue, BRS member Harish Rao said that at a time when the Assembly is in session, an illegal case has been booked against a member.
Harish Rao alleged that the ruling party is trying to create problems for BRS by "tarnishing" the image of KTR.
Denying any wrongdoing in the Formula-E race, Harish Rao said the BRS government conducted the race to increase the state's revenues. "Since the Congress government is saying we did something wrong, we are demanding the government to explain the same to this August House by allowing a debate, " he said.