Synopsis
After a year-long absence, K. Chandrashekar Rao, the Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister of Telangana, attended the Legislative Assembly session due to increasing pressure from Congress leaders and a PIL filed in the High Court regarding his absence.Key Takeaways
- KCR returned to the Assembly after over a year.
- His attendance was prompted by pressure from Congress leaders.
- A PIL has been filed regarding his absence.
- BRS legislators were urged to hold the Congress accountable.
- Discontent among citizens against the Congress government is rising.
Hyderabad, March 12 (NationPress) After a prolonged absence of over a year, former Chief Minister of Telangana and current Leader of Opposition (LoP), K. Chandrashekar Rao, attended the state Legislative Assembly session under considerable pressure. On Tuesday, several Congress leaders petitioned the Assembly Speaker to revoke KCR's salary due to his lack of participation in the sessions, and a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has also been submitted to the High Court regarding this issue.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) President was present during Governor Jishnu Dev Varma’s address at the joint session of the Legislature, marking the commencement of the Budget Session.
KCR, as he is commonly referred, has made only sporadic appearances in the Assembly since his party lost power to the Congress party in November 2023.
Upon arriving, the BRS chief received a warm reception from party MLAs, followed by a meeting in his chambers with BRS members before participating in the session.
On Tuesday, KCR attended a meeting of BRS legislators at the party headquarters, Telangana Bhavan, where he instructed them to hold the Congress government accountable for its unfulfilled electoral commitments.
While addressing the legislators, KCR stated that the Congress government was allowed 15 months to demonstrate improvement, claiming that discontent among the populace was rising.
It is anticipated that KCR may not attend the Assembly sessions from Thursday onward. His son and working president of BRS, K.T. Rama Rao, mentioned that KCR’s stature was too significant to endure betrayal in the Assembly.
Rama Rao further asserted that no individual in Congress could compare to KCR’s stature.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and other Congress leaders have criticized KCR for his absence from the Assembly, repeatedly challenging him to participate.
Some Congress leaders had previously urged Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to revoke KCR's salary due to his absence.
Congress Corporator Daripally Raja Shekhar Reddy and several other leaders submitted a memorandum to the Speaker regarding this matter.
A recent PIL was filed in the Telangana High Court concerning KCR's ongoing absence from Assembly sessions.
D. Vijaypal Reddy, general secretary of the Federation of Farmers Association, requested the High Court to direct the Assembly Speaker to ensure that the Leader of the Opposition attends the sessions.
The petitioner’s attorney argued that KCR’s absence deprived the people of Telangana the chance to express their grievances to the government.
The High Court instructed the petitioner’s counsel to present arguments regarding whether the prolonged absence of the Leader of Opposition from Assembly sessions warranted judicial review.
