Telangana assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Wednesday dismissed the disqualification petitions filed against Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender and Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari, alleging that they had defected from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi to the Congress party.
After prolonged hearings that went over several months, the Speaker declared that both Srihari and Nagender would continue to be recognised as members of the BRS in the assembly.
The petitioners – Padi Kaushik Reddy of BRS and A Maheshwar Reddy of BJP had alleged that the two MLAs, who were elected on BRS tickets in the 2023 Telangana assembly elections, had subsequently shifted their allegiance to the ruling Congress party, thereby attracting provisions of the anti-defection law.
During the hearing conducted by the Speaker, both Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari submitted statements asserting that they had not officially defected from the BRS and continued to remain members of the party.
Taking their statements into consideration, the Speaker ruled that there was no conclusive evidence to prove that the two MLAs had formally switched parties.
Consequently, he dismissed the disqualification petitions and stated that both legislators would continue to be treated as BRS MLAs in the Assembly.
The decision has provided immediate relief to the two lawmakers, who were facing the threat of losing their assembly membership under the anti-defection provisions.
The ruling assumes significance as the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the broader issue of party defections involving Telangana MLAs on Thursday.
The apex court, which has already examined the matter multiple times, had earlier indicated that the Speaker should take a decision on the pending disqualification petitions before the case comes up for further hearing. In compliance with that direction, the Speaker announced his verdict on Wednesday.
Reacting sharply to the ruling, BRS working president K T Rama Rao criticised the Speaker’s decision, calling it an “open assault on democracy.”
In a post on social media platform X, KTR alleged that granting a clean chit to the two MLAs despite allegations of defection undermined the mandate of the people.
He said the decision amounted to encouraging political defections and described it as a “dark day in the history of democracy.”
“This is not merely a verdict but an example of how constitutional institutions are being used to benefit those in power,” he said.
KTR further argued that when legislators elected on the votes of the people change their political allegiance for personal gain and the Speaker validates such actions, it raises serious questions about the integrity of democratic institutions.
“The people of Telangana are watching everything closely and will give their answer at the appropriate time,” he added.
