Hyderabad, March 29 (NationPress) The Speaker of the Telangana Assembly has formally directed the Ethics Committee to investigate the reported misconduct of opposition BRS MLA P. Kaushik Reddy during a recent session.

Following a resolution put forth by legislative affairs minister D. Sridhar Babu, which called attention to Kaushik Reddy's alleged inappropriate conduct towards senior member Kadiyam Srihari, Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar confirmed the resolution's approval via a voice vote.

Members from the ruling Congress party previously accused Kaushik Reddy of disrespecting Srihari, a prominent Dalit leader, condemning not only his comments but also his demeanor while addressing Srihari.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed disapproval of Kaushik Reddy's actions and recommended that the Ethics Committee take necessary measures against him.

Kadiyam Srihari, a former Deputy Chief Minister, is reportedly among the ten BRS MLAs who are said to have shifted allegiance to the Congress party in 2024.

Despite this, the Speaker has rejected the BRS's requests to disqualify these MLAs.

CM Revanth Reddy emphasized that Kadiyam Srihari holds a position of significant stature, comparable to BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He asserted that no one in the country could question Srihari's integrity and dedication, labeling the disrespect shown to the senior leader in the Assembly as unacceptable.

The Chief Minister also accused KCR of avoiding Assembly sessions to evade facing a Dalit Speaker, claiming that BRS members have continuously disrupted the proceedings to humiliate the Speaker.

Moreover, he charged KCR with betraying the Dalit community by failing to honor his commitment to appoint a Dalit as the first Chief Minister of Telangana, thereby deceiving the entire community during his tenure.

KCR's initial term saw only one cabinet position granted to a Dalit leader (Koppula Eshwar), which the CM criticized as insufficient.

Characterizing KCR as anti-Dalit, he pointed out that KCR had also removed Dalit leader Bhatti Vikramarka from the position of Leader of the Opposition for questioning the government.

"KCR could not accept having a Dalit as the Leader of the Opposition merely for challenging the government’s actions," the CM stated.

CM Revanth Reddy highlighted that the Congress Government advanced Bhatti Vikramarka to Deputy CM and Finance Minister, underscoring the inclusion of numerous Dalit leaders in significant roles within the government.

He criticized the BRS for facilitating defections in 2014 and 2018.

In reaction, BRS leader and former minister T. Srinivas Yadav dismissed the referral of Kaushik Reddy’s conduct to the Ethics Committee as a diversion tactic by the Congress government, asserting that Reddy was merely inquiring about the party affiliations of Srihari and others.

Yadav claimed that the government is attempting to deflect attention from the BRS's call for a House Committee to investigate allegations of corruption and illegal mining involving revenue minister P. Srinivasa Reddy.