Date:16/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/16/stories/2008091652600300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Andhra plot behind party’s dwindling strength: TRS

Special Correspondent

Party floor leader in the Assembly makes the allegation
‘Conspiracy hatched in the office of the Chief Minister’

HYDERABAD: E. Rajender, floor leader of Telangana Rashtra Samithi, blamed Andhra leaders in the Congress for dwindling of his party strength in the Assembly.

Participating in the debate on no-confidence motion tabled against Speaker K. R. Suresh Reddy in the Assembly on Monday, he said the Speaker, who was supposed to act independently and impartially, too joined the “conspiracy hatched in the office of the Chief Minister” to see that Telangana was not adequately represented in the House.

Issue of dissidents

When 10 out of 26 MLAs of the TRS turned “dissidents” at the behest of the Chief Minister and worked against the party, it should have been a fitting case for the Speaker to invoke Anti-Defection Law.

However, Mr. Suresh Reddy delayed decision to disqualify them even after the Supreme Court verdict that the issue should be resolved “in a reasonable time”.

In contrast, the Speaker of Lok Sabha disqualified many Members of Parliament either for accepting bribes to table questions in Lok Sabha or for defying their part whip, he said.