Telangana: Ignored in the house, Congress MLA SA Sampath Kumar sulks

Hyderabad: Alampur Congress MLA S.A. Sampath Kumar is furious at the government, the Congress and the Speaker for denying him the opportunity to speak on the SC/ST Special Development Fund in the Assembly.

Upset with own party leadership for failing to stand by him on Thursday when the Bill was passed, Mr Kumar threatened to quit the party whip post and announced he will sit separately in the House.

“Though I am a Dalit legislator, I was denied a chance to speak on the historic Bill. TRS government, my own party and the Speaker did not give me a chance. I will sit separately till I get justice. I am deeply hurt,” he said.

Mr Kumar alleged, “To make one broker, joker and land-grabber as Wakf Board chairman, the session was continued. Bhoodan board office was ransacked and files knocked away by son, daughter and nephew. The Bhoodan Bill was passed after sitting for long hours.”

He said that the government was afraid he would expose the injustice being done to SCs. “The ruling party hatched a conspiracy to deny me a chance to speak, Speaker was part of this while my own party did not stand by me. I was mentally upset and did not sleep last night,” he said.

A visibly upset and sulking Congress MLA wore a black scarf and sat in the back row of the Assembly. He was seen closeted by Deputy Speaker Padma Devender Reddy and health minister Laxma Reddy.

Party working president Bhatti Vikramarka, G. Chinna Reddy, Komatireddy Venkatreddy tried to calm him but in vain.