Describing the boycott of the oath-taking event by the BJP as an “insult to the Constitution”, both the ruling Congress party and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi criticised the BJP for acting “against the spirit of democracy”.
All eight BJP members who won in the recent Telangana state elections refused to take oath on Saturday protesting the appointment of AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi as Protem Speaker to conduct the Assembly proceedings till a Speaker is elected.
Describing the boycott of the oath-taking event by the BJP as an “insult to the Constitution”, both the ruling Congress party and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi criticised the BJP for acting “against the spirit of democracy”.
Akbaruddin was administered the oath as the Pro-tem Speaker by Governor Tamilisai Soundararjan at Raj Bhavan on Saturday. It has been a protocol in the state to let a senior legislator in the House be the Pro-tem Speaker. Akbaruddin is the senior-most legislator, having won the Chandrayangutta constituency six times.
A Pro-tem Speaker is appointed to administer the oath of office to the newly-elected MLAs in the first post-poll sitting of the Assembly. He presides over the voting and election of the new Speaker.
Elections to the Speaker’s post are scheduled on December 14. The Congress in Telangana has nominated Gaddam Prasad Kumar for the post of Speaker.
BJP MLA T Raja Singh said, “Why would one take oath in front of someone who threatens and abuses Hindus, and makes anti-Hindu comments? When the Speaker is elected, we will go to his chamber and take oath. In 2018, I did not take oath because an AIMIM leader was appointed Pro-tem Speaker. Why do the BRS and Congress want to appease the AIMIM so much? There are so many senior MLAs who could have been appointed,’’ Raja Singh said.
The first to announce he will not take oath with Akbaruddin as Pro-tem Speaker, Singh had told The Indian Express on Friday “I am not going to take the oath if he is sitting in the Speaker’s chair. Akbar is the product of Qasim Razvi, the head of the Nizam’s Razakar army, which massacred Telangana people.’’
Two other BJP MLAs D Suryanarayana from Nizamabad (Urban) and P Rakesh Reddy from Armur refused to comment.
Technically, members who could not take an oath on the first day can do so in the chamber of the Speaker after he is elected.
Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) Spokesperson Dr D Sravan said Raja Singh and other BJP MLAs were setting a bad precedent. “Once you become an elected member and enter the Legislature, you should not be guided by your religious feelings. The BJP MLAs are insulting the Constitution and dishonouring the House. It is absurd and uncalled for. This is nothing but an attempt to whip up communal sentiments. Haven’t BJP MPs taken oath when M Hamid Ansari was Chairman of Rajya Sabha?” he said.