Congress demands action against Harish Rao for taking photos in Assembly

Hyderabad: The Congress party has called on Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to take action against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA T. Harish Rao for allegedly taking photographs within the Assembly premises, violating established norms.

Government Whip Aadi Srinivas on Thursday submitted a letter to the Speaker, demanding strict action against Harish Rao for disregarding rules and previous rulings issued by the Speaker. He stated that on Wednesday, amid disruptions during discussions on demands for grants, Harish Rao took photographs and forwarded them to the media for publication.

Srinivas emphasized that capturing videos and photographs within the House and Assembly premises is strictly prohibited, and several rulings have been issued on the matter. He accused BRS legislators of repeatedly flouting Assembly norms, citing a recent incident where they walked out on an issue, and then staged a protest in the Assembly lounge and at the MLAs' alighting point. During the protest, BRS legislators reportedly recorded videos and took photographs, which were later shared with the media.

Speaker Prasad Kumar reprimanded Harish Rao on Wednesday after witnessing him take photographs on his mobile phone during heated exchanges between ruling Congress members and the opposition BRS. The Speaker reminded Harish Rao of his extensive legislative experience, including his tenure as a minister for 10 years.

"You also worked as minister for legislative affairs. Don’t you know that taking photographs in the House and hall is prohibited?" the Speaker questioned, instructing Harish Rao to delete all the images he had taken.

With IANS inputs