Telangana Assembly Speaker Dismisses Disqualification Petitions Against Danam Nagender, Kadiyam Srihari; Political Heat Intensifies

Hyderabad: Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Wednesday dismissed the disqualification petitions filed against BRS MLAs Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari, giving relief to both leaders. The petitions, filed by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleged that the two MLAs had violated anti-defection rules.

Announcing the decision, the Speaker stated that there was no concrete evidence to prove that the two legislators had officially changed their party affiliation. Based on the available material and explanations given during the hearings, the petitions seeking their disqualification were dismissed. The decision comes just a day before the matter was scheduled to be heard in the Supreme Court. Notably, the Speaker had earlier given a clean chit to eight other MLAs in similar cases.

Reacting strongly to the development, BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) criticised the Speaker’s decision. He alleged that granting a clean chit to Danam Nagender, who represents Khairatabad constituency, and Kadiyam Srihari, who represents Ghanpur Station constituency, amounted to an open attack on democracy, and allowing a leader who contested on a Congress party ticket was an insult to the people's verdict.

"The Speaker's clean chit to MLAs Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari in the party defection case is an open attack on democracy. Such decisions will damage the trust of the people. The people of Telangana are watching everything... they will answer at the right time," said KTR.

KTR further said that such decisions encourage political defections and described the ruling as a "dark day in the history of democracy." He alleged that the decision reflected the misuse of constitutional mechanisms in favour of those in power and warned that such actions would damage public trust in democratic institutions. "People are watching everything and will respond at the right time," he remarked.

'"Giving a clean chit to a person who contested as an MP on the Congress party's B-form is an insult to the people's verdict. This decision, taken by the Speaker, encouraging party defection, is a dark day in the history of democracy. This is not just a verdict, but an example of using constitutional mechanisms in favour of those in power. If the positions won with the votes of the people are exchanged for personal gains, and the Speaker seals it, where do the values ​​of democracy stand?" KTR said on the 'X' platform.

Meanwhile, Danam Nagender hit back at both BRS and BJP leaders, including KTR. Questioning the motives behind the complaints, he asked why he was not invited to the BRS Legislature Party meeting held recently. He also alleged that the BJP and BRS had formed an "unholy combination," which he blamed for his defeat in the parliamentary elections.

Nagender asserted that he had not taken membership in any other party and had not worked against BRS in the Assembly. He also pointed out that no party whip had been issued during the Assembly proceedings. "Even if the verdict had gone against me, I would have contested the by-election and won," he said.

Danam also accused some leaders of targeting Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for personal political gains. He alleged that some individuals were unable to accept that Revanth Reddy had become Chief Minister and were trying to create unnecessary controversies. He expressed confidence that the results of the upcoming Greater elections would favour the Congress government led by Revanth Reddy.

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