Hyderabad, March 27 – The Congress party has called for action against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA T. Harish Rao for allegedly taking photographs within the Telangana Legislative Assembly premises, a move they claim violates established norms and Speaker’s rulings.
Government whip Aadi Srinivas wrote a formal letter to Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Thursday, demanding that Harish Rao be held accountable for his actions. According to Srinivas, the incident occurred on Wednesday during a disturbance in the House, which took place during discussions on demands for grants. Harish Rao allegedly took photographs and forwarded them to the media for publication.
Srinivas emphasized that taking photographs or videos within the premises of the Assembly is prohibited, referencing previous rulings made by the Speaker that clearly state such actions are not permissible. The government whip further pointed out that this is not the first instance of BRS legislators violating the Speaker’s directives. Two days prior, BRS members staged a protest in the Assembly lounge and near the MLAs’ alighting point after walking out of the House on a contentious issue. During the protest, they reportedly clicked photos and videos, which were later shared with the media.
Speaker Prasad Kumar had previously reprimanded Harish Rao on Wednesday when he was caught taking photographs during a heated exchange between Congress members and BRS legislators. The Speaker reminded Harish Rao, a senior legislator who had also served as a minister for a decade, about the established rules prohibiting such actions in the House.
“You also worked as the minister for legislative affairs. Don’t you know that taking photographs in the House and hall is prohibited?” the Speaker asked Harish Rao. The Speaker further instructed the BRS leader to delete the photographs he had taken.
The incident has sparked a debate over the conduct of legislators in the Assembly and the importance of adhering to the Speaker’s rulings to maintain the decorum of the House.
