Angry Speaker Ticks Off Harish for Double Speak

Hyderabad:The Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, the second day of the Monsoon Session, began amidst acrimonious scenes and the morning session ended with an adjournment with the Congress and the BRS sides hurling charges at and demanding apologies at each other over the alleged derogatory remarks on the Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar by BRS MLC Tata Madhusudhan.

The day also saw the Speaker, in an unusual departure in the way he handles the House, display anger and tick off BRS deputy floor leader T. Harish Rao.

During the back and forth, when Harish Rao was vociferously insisting that the Congress government apologise to BRS women MLAs for the way the police behaved with them, the Speaker, pointedly speaking with Harish Rao, said “Why are you getting worked up? I can also get angry. My mother was named. Listen to me. I have respect for women members. I have eight sisters, I have asked for a report on the incident involving Sabitha Indra Reddy, Sunitha Laxma Reddy and Kova Lakshmi and as soon as the report comes, action will be taken.”

He then added in an angry tone: “What about me Harish? Your mother was not named, it was my mother.”

This outburst from the Speaker came as the ruling and Ipposition sides indulged in angry exchanges with the Congress demanding that BRS president and Leader of Opposition K. Chandrashekar Rao come to the Assembly and apologise to the Speaker for Madhusudhan’s remarks on the Speaker. The BRS side, led by Harish Rao, on its part, insisted that the government apologise to the three BRS women MLAs who Harish Rao said, were manhandled roughly with the sari of one of them being pulled at by the police as the BRS MLAs were trying to enter the Assembly on Monday.

Amidst the heated exchanges, legislative affairs minister D Sridhar Babu said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and the Speaker sought reports from the police on BRS allegations and that action can be taken once the report is submitted by the police. As some Congress members, including ministers Adluri Laxman and Danasari ‘Seethakka’ Anasuya, questioned the BRS demands and insisted on an apology from the opposition, Harish Rao explained that Madhusudhan had withdrawn his comments and expressed regret in the event of what he said causing any hurt to the Speaker.

However, this was not taken to kindly by Congress members who continued to attack the BRS and as Harish Rao entered the well of the House demanding that Sabitha Indra Reddy be allowed to speak, the Speaker adjourned the house for a break.