Hyderabad: Protesting against the merger of the 12 defecting Congress MLAs into the TRS Legislature Party, TPCC president and MP N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and others staged a dharna at the Assembly on Thursday.
Police arrested Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, MLA D. Sridhar Babu, former minister Shabbir Ali, TPCC vice-president Mallu Ravi and took them to the Tappachabutra police station.
Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that each of the defectors was paid crores of rupees. These MLAs were purchased, one at a time, over four months, he alleged. This was done even though the disqualification petitions filed against the legislators by the Congress in the Assembly were pending with Speaker P. Srinivas Reddy for over four months, he said.
Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy told mediapersons that the Speaker was not traceable or not available to meet Congress leaders, but had met the defecting MLAs. He said that the matter was pending in the court for over a month.
He pointed out that in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Congress got majority in most of the Assembly constituencies where the sitting MLAs had defected to the TRS.
He alleged that “corrupt” Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had “murdered” democracy and demanded the disqualification of all defectors. He said Mr Chandra-sekhar Rao was aiming at decimating the Opposi-tion in the Assembly. “It would be better to conduct the Assembly in his farm house,” the TPCC president said.
AICC secretary and former MP V. Hanumantha Rao came to the Assembly to join the protest, but the police did not allow him to enter the premises. Protesting against this, Mr Hanumantha Rao along with party workers staged a dharna in front of the Assembly gate. After some time police arrested him and the party workers for obstructing traffic.
Earlier, speaking to media, Mr Hanumantha Rao said that the Chief Minister would not be in power permanently and asked the party leaders and workers to wait as their time would come.
Telangana TD president L. Ramana and former MP Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy condemned the merger of the MLAs with the TRSLP.
