Whip to expose rebels

The then Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy had used a similar tactic in 2013, and the 12 MLAs, who voted against the whip, ultimately lost their membership of the House.

Nine MLCs from the Congress and five from the TD have ‘defected’ to the TRS in public.

However, technically and legally, they continue to be counted in the Congress and TD ranks as per the records. The Congress and TD have filed petitions with the presiding officers of both Houses seeking disqualification of their members.

It is in order to secure unimpeachable evidence to get the lawmakers disqualified that the Congress and the TD have issued the whip to their lawmakers to vote down the Appropriation Bill on Friday and Saturday respectively.

All party legislators are now compelled to be present in the respective House and obey the party orders of vote against the Bill. If they vote as per party diktat, no action can be initiated against them.

But, if they vote in favour of the government Bill by defying the party whip, they will be liable to lose their membership. For this, the respective parties have to complain within 15 days to the presiding officers, who will hold a formal enquiry.

“It is binding on our legislators to follow the whip, otherwise they will lose their membership,” warned Mr Errabelli Dayakara Rao and A. Narsa Reddy, TD Leaders in the Assembly and the Council. Congress legislature party whip S.A. Sampath Kumar said, “The whip is binding on all. Let us see what happens on D Day.”