The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Three rebel TRS MLAs disqualified

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Tuesday, Dec 23, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Three rebel TRS MLAs disqualified

Special Correspondent

Six quit; they had supported an independent in the 2007 Legislative Council polls

Speaker’s decision to accept resignations flayed
Speaker claims he had done “a great balancing act”

HYDERABAD: Three rebel MLAs of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) were disqualified from their membership under the anti-defection law while six others resigned from the Legislative Assembly and pre-empted similar action against them by Speaker K. R. Suresh Reddy.

The Speaker on Monday delivered his judgment on the petition filed by the TRS against the continuance of nine rebel MLAs who supported an independent candidate, Kasani Gyaneswar, in the Legislative Council elections in March 2007 instead of the candidates supported by the party. The decision to disqualify the trio was taken under the provisions of 2 (1) (a) of the X Schedule of the Constitution wherein members ‘voluntarily gave up’ by supporting a candidate other than those nominated by the party.

Mr. Suresh Reddy’s decision to accept the resignations drew heavy flak from the TRS and other opposition parties who described it as undemocratic. Also, the time gap of nearly 21 months between the TRS’ petition and the Speaker’s verdict came in for sharp criticism.

Addressing a press conference, the Speaker, however, maintained that accepting the resignation of six MLAs a day before he delivered his judgment did not amount to granting any mercy to them. He said copies of his 17-page verdict would be handed over to the six MLAs.

He claimed he had done “a great balancing act in delivering the judgment that had no precedent”. Accordingly, rebel MLAs Mandadi Satyanarayana Reddy, T. Jayaprakash Reddy and S. Bapu Rao had been disqualified from the membership while resignations of six other MLAs — G. Mukund Reddy, B. Shara Rani, S. Santosh Reddy, D. Srinivas, Narayan Rao Patel and Kasipeta Lingaiah — were accepted. The Speaker attributed the delay in delivering the judgment to the time taken in examining various aspects of the case.

He pointed out that he had conducted 22 sittings when the oral and written arguments of the two sides represented by prominent lawyers had been considered.

“Irresponsible”

Terming as “irresponsible” the behaviour of the TRS members in staging a protest in front of his house, he said it was also not proper on the part of the members to “politicise the Chair” which “let go a few things” including the remarks made by the members outside the House that amounted to breach of privilege.

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