Telangana BJP's oath ‘boycott’ threat as Akbaruddin Owaisi appointed pro-tem Speaker
BJP MLA-elect Raja Singh said he and other BJP MLAs would not participate in the oath-taking event with Akbaruddin Owaisi presiding over the proceedings.
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA-elect Raja Singh voiced opposition to Akbaruddin Owaisi's appointment as the pro-tem Speaker of Telangana assembly and said he and other BJP MLAs would not participate in the oath-taking event with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen lawmaker presiding over the proceedings. The newly-elected MLAs of Telangana are scheduled to take oath during the first session of the legislative assembly scheduled to be held 11am on Saturday, a government order (GO) said.
Akbaruddin Owaisi took oath as pro-tem Speaker of the Telangana legislative assembly in Raj Bhawan on Saturday morning.
In a video message, Raja Singh said he would never take oath “as long as he is alive” in front of AIMIM. “Can I take oath in front of a person (Akbaruddin Owaisi) who made anti-Hindu comments in the past?” asked Raja Singh.
He also recalled that he did not take oath as an MLA when a member of AIMIM was the pro-tem Speaker in 2018.
"It is very unfortunate. After the Congress formed the government and Revanth Reddy became the chief minister, Congress's real face has come to the fore. New chief minister Revanth Reddy earlier alleged a tacit understanding among BRS, AIMIM and BJP and he should now clarify as to what is the relation between his party and AIMIM,...We will not take oath in front of such a person...We will boycott...," Raja Singh said.
There are many senior MLAs who could have been made pro-tem Speaker but Reddy was seeking to appease minorities and AIMIM leaders, the BJP leader alleged.
The BJP in a release said the newly elected MLAs (8) would meet state party president G Kishan Reddy on Saturday morning and later, offer prayers at the Goddess Bhagya Lakshmi temple at Charminar in Hyderabad.
Countering Raja Singh, Telangana Congress spokesperson Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy said pro-tem Speaker is a matter related to the Constitution and that some senior MLA has to be appointed to the post.
"It does not show that we are with the AIMIM by making him the pro-tem Speaker. We don't have to polarise a community to survive in politics," the Congress spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, BRS said its MLAs would have a meeting at 9am at the party headquarters, before the commencement of the assembly session.
