Key Points
Hyderabad: The ongoing fracas between the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana over defections of legislators took an ugly turn this week as a deserter BRS MLA, Arekapudi Gandhi, was appointed as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)...
Congress and BRS workers came to blows at a posh gated community, the residence of Huzurabad MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy of the BRS, in Hyderabad over the matter Thursday, following which Serilingampally MLA Arekapudi was booked by the Cyberabad police while Padi was put under house arrest...
Arekapudi is among the 10 BRS MLAs, who have joined the Congress over the last few months but officially continue to be opposition members..
By appointing a defected MLA, who is now on the ruling side, as PAC chief, the Congress government and the Speaker gave a go-by to parliamentary conventions,former BRS minister for legislative affairs Prashanth Reddy told reporters Tuesday, while pleading with Speaker Gaddam Prasad to reconsider the PACs constitution...
Harish Rao sought to distance the BRS from Padis comments, saying they were targeted at Arekapudi and not on Andhra settlers, while the MLA, too, clarified he has respect for settlers and that the Congress is attempting to stoke regional sentiments for petty political benefits and in the process damaging Hyderabads brand image...
