BRS MLAs Say 'Turncoats Being Shameless' In Claiming They Never Left Party
“Today, we made it clear that the turncoats must be disqualified. Our lawyers will get their turn to question them. The turncoats must resign and face the public again”:Palla Rajeshwar Reddy
HYDERABAD: The BRS on Monday alleged that 10 of its MLAs against whom it had lodged petitions with the Assembly Speaker seeking their disqualification for joining the Congress, had “shamelessly” claimed through their lawyers before the Speaker that they never joined the ruling party.
The case of the turncoat MLAs entered a crucial phase on Monday with Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar holding hearings on the petitions, and lawyers representing four of the alleged turncoats — T Prakash Goud, Kale Yadaiah, Gudem Mahipal Reddy, and Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy – questioning the petitioner BRS MLAs on their charges seeking the disqualification of these four MLAs.
Following Monday’s cross-examination of the complainants — Dr Kalvakuntla Sanjay, Chinta Prabhakar, and Palla Rajeshwar Reddy – the Speaker will preside over similar cross-examination of the alleged turncoats by lawyers representing these BRS MLAs on Wednesday.
Speaking with reporters in the evening after their cross-examinations, Rajeshwar Reddy said “it is a public fact that 10 MLAs who won on BRS tickets joined the Congress. There is no secret about this. Based on our complaints, eight of these 10 MLAs submitted their explanations to the Speaker who took up the hearings as per Supreme Court orders. The lawyers representing the turncoats kept asking irrelevant questions, and tried to turn the facts on their heads. But we responded to all their questions, provided evidences of those MLAs joining the Congress.”
He said, “Today, we made it clear that the turncoats must be disqualified. Our lawyers will get their turn to question them. The turncoats must resign and face the public again.”
Dr Kalvakuntla Sanjay said that despite making a big public show of joining the Congress, those 10 MLAs gave affidavits to the court and the Speaker that they had not done so. “We presented all the evidence, including news reports of them joining the Congress, we gave all the proof required to establish they joined the Congress. We respect the Speaker and hope he will take the appropriate decision of disqualifying them,” he said.
Dr Sanjay also said it was shocking to see the turncoats claim that news reports of the public events of them joining the Congress were false and incorrect and they tried to paint the media as the ones spreading falsehoods. “People should take note of how these turncoats are behaving,” he added.