BRS, Congress spar over quorum in Telangana Assembly

Hyderabad, Feb 14: Members of ruling Congress party and main opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana Legislative Assembly on Wednesday engaged in an argument over quorum.

As soon as the House met for the day, BRS MLAs raised the issue. They drew the attention of Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to lack of quorum.

BRS leader and former minister T. Harish Rao alleged that the government failed to maintain the quorum for debate on Budget.

Another BRS MLA Kadiam Srihari recalled that in the past legislative affairs ministers used to make phone calls to the MLAs to ensure quorum during important business.

Legislative affairs minister D. Sridhar Babu disputed the BRS claim that there was no quorum. He mentioned that as the Assembly has a strength of 119 members, 10 per cent or only 12 members make up the quorum

He claimed that 18 members were present when the Speaker commenced the proceedings. The minister said BRS was trying to send a wrong message outside the House by claiming lack of quorum.

Sridhar Babu mentioned that Harish Rao had also served as legislative affairs minister in the past and despite all the knowledge he was trying to make a wrong claim.

Kadiam Srihari, who initiated the debate on Vote-on-Account Budget for 2024-25, mentioned about the absence of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka during the debate on Budget.

The BRS member also requested the Speaker to start the session at 10 a.m. He said the House was not meeting till 10:05 or 10:10 a.m., which is not proper. He said the Assembly proceedings should start at the scheduled time.