Defections: Swami Goud to stick to rules

Hyderabad: Legislative Council chairman Swami Goud assured the Congress that he would go by the rule book before taking action against the Congress MLCs, who had defected to the TRS. Besides, the cases of other states will also be studied, he said.

Replying to Congress floor leader D. Srinivas seeking disqualification of the defectors under anti-defection law, the Council chairman said necessary action would be taken as per the rule book.

For the first time, the Congress moved an adjournment motion seeking action against Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for openly encouraging defection.

The Congress had submitted petitions to both Assembly Speaker S. Madhusudhan Chary and Legislative Council chairman Swami Goud to disqualify the MLAs and MLCs, who had been elected on Congress ticket and defected to the TRS.

D. Srinivas, who raked up the issue in the Council on Monday, got involved in a verbal duel with IT and panchayat raj minister K.T. Rama Rao.

Congress MLCs Bhanu Prasad, K.R. Amos, N. Rajalingam, Jagadishwar Reddy, V. Bhupal Reddy, Yadav Reddy had quit the Congress and joined the TRS.

The Congress is seeking action against them and also announced it would move the court against them.