The Telangana Assembly on Wednesday witnessed angry exchanges between the ruling Congress and main opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) after BRS leader K. T. Rama Rao claimed that Congress leaders were taking 30 percent commission in government contracts.
Rama Rao’s allegation evoked a strong reaction from Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and other members of the ruling party, who demanded that the BRS leader withdraw his remark.
Trouble started during the debate on the state Budget when KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, asked if it was not a fact that contractors staged a dharna at the state Secretariat over being asked to pay 20 per cent commission.
The Deputy Chief Minister dared KTR to prove his allegation or apologise. He also asked BRS members to be careful about what they say.
Vikramarka’s remark triggered strong protests from the BRS. Terming the Deputy CM’s remark as inappropriate, the BRS members demanded that he withdraw the same and apologise.
There was pandemonium in the House due to protests and slogan-shouting by the opposition members.
Taking exception to Deputy CM’s remark, KTR said that the treasury benches, especially ministers, should have more restraint. He said they could also make provocative remarks.
The House witnessed uproarious scenes with members of both the ruling party and the main opposition standing on their feet and shouting at each other.
The BRS members later staged a walkout. After coming out of the House, they raised slogans in the lobbies, calling the Congress government a ’20-30 percent commission government’. They squatted at the entrance to register their protest.
Later, when the BRS members returned to the House, KTR said that he had a relationship with Bhatti Vikramarka for 16 years and respects him like an elder brother.
The BRS leader made certain comments about Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy over his alleged involvement in the cash for vote case and reiterated his allegations that the ruling party leaders are taking commission. It once again caused an uproar in the House.
Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar announced that KTR’s remarks would be deleted from the Assembly record. When BRS members wanted the remarks of the Congress member Adi Srinivas to be deleted, the Speaker said he would examine the same and take a decision.
