BRS MLA Kaushik Reddy’s gesticulations against Dalit MLA rock the assembly

Gesticulations by BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy against party member Kadiyam Srihari rocked the legislative assembly on Sunday with the members of the ruling Congress taking strong objections to the manner in which ‘a senior Dalit MLA has been treated’.

Mr. Kaushik Reddy made the gestures when Mr. Kadiyam Srihari, who intervened in the debate on irregularities in mining in the Legislative Assembly on Sunday. As Mr. Srihari was speaking, Mr. Kaushik Reddy made gestures, described as intimidating by Dalit members of the Congress, asking him about the party which he represented. It may be recalled that Mr. Kadiyam Srihari’s name was cleared by Assembly Speaker G. Prasad Kumar after he faced charges under the Anti-Defection Law recently.

The issue however, took a serious turn with the ruling party members raising strong objections to the manner in which a Dalit legislator was treated by Mr. Kaushik Reddy, hailing from the upper caste community. “Action should be initiated against him (Mr. Kaushik Reddy) for intimidating a senior Dalit MLA,” Minister A. Lakshman Kumar said amid the din created by the slogan shouting BRS members who were insisting on the constitution of the house committee to probe ‘illicit mining’ by the firm owned by relatives of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy.

Several ruling party MLAs, including Ch. Vamsikrishna, Payam Venkateshwarlu, Matta Ragamayee and M. Yashaswini Reddy took strong objections to the BRS members’ gestures against Mr. Kadiyam Srihari. Minister G. Vivek Venkatswamy criticised the BRS for its failure to honour promises of making a Dalit as Chief Minister of the newly formed Telangana and alleged that the party failed to give even the working president post to a Dalit.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who intervened in the debate, recalled that BRS president and Opposition leader K. Chandrasekhar Rao did not fulfil his assurance of making a Dalit as Chief Minister on the ground that Dalits were not capable of handling the post. “There was only one Dalit in his Cabinet while KCR ensured that the then Opposition leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka was stripped off the post by poaching MLAs from the Congress,” he alleged.

He charged Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao with being absent from the House despite taking ₹1.1 crore salary over the past two-and-a-half years, as G. Prasad Kumar, a Dalit, was made the Speaker by the Congress. “He is not inclined to request a Dalit (the Speaker) for an opportunity every time he wants to speak, and hence, he is not attending the proceedings,” he said adding the BRS leadership did not even have humanitarian consideration for Dalits leave alone giving them top posts.

He drew parallels with the Congress, claiming that several Dalits were given high posts, including the party’s national president, Mallikarjun Kharge and deputy Chief Minister Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka. “They (the BRS leadership) have made the MLAs poached from other parties as Ministers. Do they have the moral right to speak in the House?,” he asked.

Mr. Revanth Reddy said Mr. Kadiyam Srihari was a senior member with unquestionable integrity and asked whether BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao and deputy floor leader in the assembly T. Harish Rao supported Mr. Kaushik Reddy. He was particularly critical of Mr. Harish Rao claiming that the BRS deputy floor leader and former Finance Minister was insulting Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka for introducing the budget in the assembly repeatedly.