2 BRS MLCs Booked Over Remarks

Police arrested BRS MLCs Tata Madhusudhan alias Madhu and N. Naveen Kumar Reddy on Tuesday for allegedly making derogatory and abusive remarks against Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar.

Madhu was arrested from his residence at the New MLA Quarters, while Naveen Kumar Reddy was taken into custody from his Kokapet residence.

They had made the alleged remarks against the Speaker during a protest by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs and MLCs at the Assembly entrance on Monday, when police had stopped them from entering the premises for wearing black T-shirts with slogans.

The arrests followed a case registered against them on a complaint filed by Pollepalli Venkatesham, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Assembly Speaker.

The complainant stated that the Speaker, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste (Madiga) community, was intentionally insulted, humiliated and demeaned in public view before journalists, electronic media crews, Assembly staff and security personnel.

It was also alleged that the remarks were made with full knowledge of his social background and were aimed at lowering his personal and constitutional standing.

Based on the complaint, Saifabad Police registered a case under Section 352 r/w 3(5) BNS and Sections 3(1)(r), 3(2)(va), 3(2)(vii) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The alleged derogatory remarks had evoked widespread condemnation in the Assembly, with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and ministers called for dismissing Madhu from the Legislative Council.

Speaker Prasad Kumar had turned emotional when Minister Seethakka, while condemning the incident in the Assembly, said that she was hurt over the abusive remarks made against the Speaker's mother.

Ministers had also demanded that a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act be booked against Tata Madhu.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Communist Party of India (CPI) also condemned the language used by the BRS MLCs against the Speaker.

However, Tata Madhu had denied making any abusive or derogatory remarks against the Speaker.

In a statement, the Member of Legislative Council asserted that the Congress leaders had attributed words to him that he never said.

"If the remarks I made are perceived as being directed at the Speaker, I withdraw those comments. I express regret for the same," he said.

He alleged that BRS MLAs and MLCs were attacked when they were entering the legislature complex.

The MLC said the police punched him repeatedly in the stomach. "Despite being punched in the stomach, I did not say a word. Out of intolerance, they attributed words to me that I never uttered," he said.