10 BRS MLAs who switched to Congress face disqualification, blow to Revanth Reddy
In its order, the Court also directed Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to decide on the MLAs' disqualification within three months.
The apex court ruling drew a sharp reaction from the BRS, which has been slamming the Congress as well as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over the issue. 'We thank the CJI (B R Gavai) for ensuring that the democratic structure of this country isn't eroded by malicious methods. I hope Rahul Gandhi who in his 'Panch Nyay' advocated for stronger anti-defection laws and automatic cancellation upon defection, will welcome this decision. I dare you to stand by your own preachings, Mr Gandhi!' BRS working president K T Rama Rao said in a post on X.
He added that he hoped the Congress would accept the Court order, and not 'use the honourable Speaker's position to make a mockery of the Indian Constitution, any further'. The 10 MLAs who had switched to the Congress had done so 'illegitimately', Rao said.
There is no imminent threat to the Congress government even if the MLAs are disqualified as it enjoys a majority on its own with 64 MLAs in the 119-member Assembly. The BRS has 39 MLAs while the BJP and AIMIM have eight and seven respectively. The Congress's ally, the CPI has one MLA.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Rao, popularly known as KTR, said the party was ready for the likely bypolls to fill the seats any time. 'We have been prepared for a year,' he said.
BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan called the ruling 'a slap on the face of perpetrators of injustice and those who do not abide by the Constitution'. 'Not just the bypolls, if the Assembly elections are held today, we will win 80% of the seats,' he told The Indian Express.
The ruling is a personal blow to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who in March emphatically declared on the floor of the House that there would be no bypolls even if BRS legislators switched sides.
This remark of the Congress leader had drawn the top court's wrath, with a Bench wondering if it had committed a mistake by letting him off in August last year when he was accused of making allegedly contemptuous remarks. 'Having experienced it on an earlier occasion, was your Chief Minister not expected to at least exercise some degree of restraint? So did we commit a mistake by letting him off that time, not taking action for contempt,' Justice Gavai had said.
On Thursday, the Congress said it respected the Supreme Court ruling, and claimed to be prepared for the bypolls too. 'We started preparations three months ago. In constituencies expected to see bypolls, we have sanctioned double the number of Indiramma illulu (houses) while social security aid is being processed faster. We will easily win all the bypolls,' a senior Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity.
Asked if the Supreme Court ruling was a setback for the CM, the leader said, 'There are ups and downs in politics. Ultimately, it is the people who decide who is their leader and the people of Telangana are with Reddy.'
The 10 BRS MLAs who switched sides to the Congress were T Prakash Goud (Rajendranagar), Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada), Danam Nagender (Khairatabad), Kale Yadaiah (Chevella), Dr Sanjay Kumar (Jagtial), Kadiam Srihari (Station Ghanpur), Tellam Venkat Rao (Bhadrachalam) and Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy (Gadwal), Arekapudi Gandhi (Serilingampalli). The Gadwal MLA, however, is said to have returned to the BRS fold already.
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