Constitutional norms go for a toss

Speaker rejects plea to disqualify 5 MLAs; BRS to move SC

- STATE BUREAU

In a move that has sharpened accusations of constitutional hypocrisy against the Congress, Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Wednesday dismissed disqualification petitions filed by the BRS against MLAs who defected to the ruling party, citing technical grounds and lack of 'sufficient evidence'.

The decision comes despite the Congress led by Rahul Gandhi repeatedly projecting itself as a defender of the sanctity of the Constitution, even as its handling of the defection issue had, from the outset, signalled a strategy of delay and reliance on procedural technicalities to wriggle out of an uncomfortable situation. The prolonged inaction by the Speaker had indicated that the ruling party would seek refuge in narrow interpretations rather than address the substance of the allegations.

In a press release issued by State Legislature Secretary V Narasimha Charyulu, it was stated that the Speaker, acting as chairman of the tribunal on disqualification petitions, dismissed the pleas. The uploading of the detailed orders on the Assembly website, he said, was under process.