Political spat between Revanth and Akbaruddin throws house into turmoil

Hyderabad: The short discussion on the white paper on the power sector triggered a rather lengthy political spat between Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi on Thursday. The wordy duel that lasted for more than one hour threw the house into turmoil with the AIMIM members walking into the well of the house and BRS members voicing a protest over the Chief Minister’s remarks.

In a sharp reaction to the Chief Minister’s observation that the AIMIMhad often been going to the rescue of BRS and its leader K Chandrashekhar Rao even when the house had taken up a debate on key subjects like power, Owaisi asserted the AIMIM got every development work taken up in old city with the support of the previous government. The AIMIM had been the voice of the minorities. It continued to be so today and would remain so in future. It was not the minority cell of any political party. It would be poles apart from entities such as the BJP, he said.

Intervening, the Chief Minister said his government remained committed to minority welfare. There was no need to entertain any doubts in this regard. With the same commitment, the Congress government had made Owaisi the Pro-tem speaker respecting his seniority and experience and not under any out-of-turn quota.

Referring to queries raised by Congress member K Satyanarayanadisrupting Owaisi during the debate on the white paper that paved way for heated exchanges between the treasury benches and the MIM, Chief Minister said the senior member could even help guide new members. The house has as many as 51 new members who are yet to be familiar with the functioning of the house.

Urging calm, he pleaded the MIM member not to make it a issue pertaining to minority community. If he viewed it as a minority related issue, then Satyanarayana happened to be a member from the Scheduled Castes and he could not be hurt in any manner. All the 119 members of the house enjoyed same importance and same rights. The senior members do not get any “extraordinary powers”. All were elected by voters of their respective constituencies.

Chief Minister also said the MIM had the right to align with any political party of its choice, even with the BJP if it preferred so. Even the MIM leader cannot be viewed as the sole representative of the minorities. Hindus also must have voted for him. The Congress had fielded a minority candidate Mohammad Azharuddin in Jubilee Hills constituency. There were efforts to defeat him. BRS leader K Chandrashekhar Rao had opted for Kamareddy to deprive another minority leader, Shabbir Ali to contest from there, Revanth Reddy said.

Taking strong exception to the Chief Minister’s remarks, Owaisi said the Chief Minister was trying to mislead the house. The MIM would not be cowed down by such attempts by him. Former Chief Minister N KiranKumar Reddy had tried to silence him putting him behind the bars in the undivided State. “I went to jail as many as five times, but continued the fight for the cause of the minorities,” he said.