Hyderabad: Union Minister Kishan Reddy on Saturday described the verdict disqualifying MLA Danam Nagender as a victory for the Constitution. He accused both the Congress and BRS of engaging in the politics of defections.
Kishan Reddy alleged that the verdict had exposed what he described as the true colours of both parties. He advised them to stop violating the law and misusing parliamentary enactments for political purposes.
He said people in Telangana were expressing satisfaction over the court verdict concerning party defections.
Kishan Reddy expressed concern over political parties inducing elected representatives to switch sides. He said the practice disregarded the public mandate and ignored the will of voters.
He alleged that former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy had encouraged defections when Congress governed undivided Andhra Pradesh. According to him, former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao continued the practice after the BRS came to power in Telangana.
Kishan Reddy cited the case of former minister Sabitha Indra Reddy. He said she was elected on a Congress ticket before joining the BRS and becoming a minister without resigning as an MLA.
He alleged that the Congress was now following the same practice.
Danam Nagender disqualification and anti-defection law
Kishan Reddy said the BJP had approached the State High Court against the Assembly Speaker’s decision concerning Nagender. The Speaker had dismissed the disqualification petition filed against the MLA.
Nagender had been elected as a BRS MLA before switching parties, Kishan Reddy said. He maintained that the move violated the anti-defection law.
Kishan Reddy welcomed the High Court’s decision to set aside the Speaker’s ruling and disqualify Nagender. He described the judgment as reasonable and just.
He said Nagender was ineligible to continue as an MLA from the day he filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections.
Kishan Reddy also targeted senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the issue. He criticised Gandhi’s campaign with a copy of the Constitution in Delhi under the “Save the Constitution” slogan, describing it as a “complete sham”.
He demanded that Rahul Gandhi explain why the Congress high command gave Nagender a Lok Sabha ticket when Assembly records continued to list him as a BRS MLA.