Hyderabad: A fact finding committee of the AP Assembly, led by Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad on Friday concluded its inquiry and recommended the “severest action” against YSR Congress MLAs R.K. Roja and Kodali Venkateswara Rao alias Nani, for their “indecent” behaviour in the House as well as for their abusive language against TD MLAs on December 21, 2015. The House had earlier adopted a resolution against Ms Roja suspending her from the services of the House for a year.
However, Ms Roja filed a writ in the Hyderabad High Court challenging the suspension, following which the Court issued notices to respondents. According to Mr Buddha Prasad, the committee has decided to send its report to the Assembly Privileges panel to initiate the “severest action” against Ms Roja and Mr Nani. The panel felt that the behaviour of the two MLAs was highly derogatory and objectionable which needed initiation of disciplinary action. Mr Nani was not punished for his behaviour in the House in the last session.
The panel felt that the Privileges Committee should look into the unruly behaviour of YSRC MLAs Jyothula Nehru (Deputy Leader of YSRC Legislature Party), Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy and Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy and issued stern warning for their unruly behaviour. Interestingly the Committee also noted ‘indisciplined behaviour by ‘some’ of the ruling TD members who passed objectionable remarks against the Opposition members but did not name any member. The panel left the matter to be enquired by Privileges Committee headed by former Minister Gollapalli Surya Rao.
“We have prepared the report and that will be sent to the Privileges Committee as directed by the Speaker. It is for that Committee to go into and award further punishment to the erring members,” Mr Buddha Prasad told DC. The Assembly is empowered to expel any errant member from the services of the House for the rest of the term or even disqualify the Member from his/her Membership and declare the seat vacant as was done in the case of ‘cash for question’ scam. Ten Lok Sabha members were subsequently disqualified by the House during Somnath Chatterjee’s term as Speaker.
The disqualification was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court. In a related development, Fact finding Committee Member and YSR Congress MLA Gadikota Srikanth Reddy found fault with the report and said though he has been insisting severe action against TD members K. Atchannaidu, Kaluva Srinivasulu, Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary and Bonda Uma Maheswara Rao for their unruly behaviour towards YSRC MLAs in the House, the Committee of which a majority of the members were from the ruling party, did not bother to look into his objections.
