All three BJP MLAs in Telangana Assembly were suspended from the House on Monday, the first day of the budget session, for disrupting the proceedings.
Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy announced suspension of Raja Singh, Raghunandan Rao and Eatala Rajender for the rest of the entire session.
Within minutes after the session commenced, the BJP MLAs were suspended as they were trying to disrupt budget speech of Finance Minister Harish Rao.
The saffron party legislators were protesting against the government’s move to commence the budget session without customary address by the Governor.
Wearing black scarves and raising slogans, the BJP MLAs trooped into the Well of the House. They also tore the budget speech copies.
As they did not heed to repeated appeals by the Speaker to resume their seats, minister T. Srinivas Yadav moved a resolution for their suspension from the House for the entire session. The resolution was adopted by a voice vote and the MLAs were sent out.
Protesting against the suspension, the three legislators sat in protest in front of the main gate of the Assembly. They alleged that the TRS government was resorting to undemocratic methods to suppress the voice of opposition.
They alleged that by scrapping the Governor’s address they have insulted the person holding the Constitutional post.
The government, however, defended it’s move saying it’s not a new session but continuation of the previous session.
Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has also taken exception to the government’s move.
“The House is meeting after five months. Under normal circumstances, when the House is convened after such a long interval, it is a new session, but the government has chosen to continue the earlier session,” she said in a statement on Saturday.
The Governor expressed her displeasure over the government scrapping her address.
She, however, stated that she has given her recommendation for the presentation of the Budget as her primary intention is people’s welfare.
“I, however, respecting the constitutional convention and going beyond political considerations and keeping up with the spirit of cooperative federalism, have conveyed my recommendation for the introduction of the Financial Bill. I had the liberty to take my time to give my recommendation. But knowing well that people’s welfare is involved, and giving primacy to people’s welfare, I gave my recommendation without any time lag,” the Governor said.
