Telangana Minister and prominent Congress figure Uttam Kumar Reddy has come forward to offer a staunch defense of the decision to appoint Akbaruddin Owaisi of the AIMIM as the pro-tem Speaker of the newly elected state Assembly, asserting that such appointments follow a routine and standard procedure. Amid heightened controversy in Telangana surrounding this appointment, Reddy deemed it necessary to clarify that the decision was in line with established norms.
In a statement to the news agency ANI, Reddy addressed the criticism, stating, "It (the appointment of Akbaruddin Owaisi as the pro-tem Speaker) is a normal procedure, and the Congress party did what was the right thing to do." He went on to explain that, based on seniority in the Assembly, he, being the most senior MLA in the Congress party, would have been the natural choice. However, due to his ministerial oath, procedural constraints prevented his candidacy for the pro-tem Speaker role. Consequently, the attention turned to other 6-term MLAs, among whom Akbaruddin Owaisi emerged as the most senior, rendering the appointment a standard and customary procedure.
Reddy further justified the selection of Owaisi, affirming that it adhered to the same procedural norms observed during the previous governance under the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). He stressed that the decision was rooted in what was deemed right and proper, unaffected by external considerations.
Addressing historical precedent, Reddy stated, "When the BRS government was there last time, they had an AIMIM MLA as the pro-tem Speaker. This has nothing to do with anything else. We did what was the right thing to do." He refrained from speculating on future dynamics with AIMIM, asserting that such discussions were the purview of state and national leadership.
Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana has raised objections to Owaisi's appointment as the pro-tem Speaker, with party MLAs boycotting his oath-taking ceremony. The BJP contends that there are several leaders senior to Owaisi, and they view his appointment as a deviation from established procedural norms. The oath-taking ceremony, which marked the commencement of the Assembly session under Owaisi's leadership, unfolded amidst this contentious backdrop.
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