K Jana Reddy asks TRS not to support defections

Hyderabad: Leader of Opposition K. Jana Reddy on Friday took a dig at the TRS government in the Legislative Assembly for encouraging defections from other parties. He asked the ruling party to create a tradition of not encouraging defections in the new state and the new Assembly, unlike in the united AP. He urged the Speaker to disqualify the defectors, pointing out that they were sitting in the treasury benches. “This is a new state and a new Assembly. This has given the opportunity for all us to create new traditions. Let us create a new tradition by not encouraging defections in this new state and new Assembly. The ruling party has encouraged so many defections from various parties during its five-month rule. Trying to wipe out Opposition through defections is not good for democracy. We should check this unethical and dangerous trend. The defectors are sitting in the treasury benches openly. What more proofs do we need to disqualify them?” Mr Jana Reddy asked. When the TRS members reminded him of the Congress encouraged defections during the past 10 years of its rule, Mr Jana Reddy said, “Yes, I agree. But that was in united AP, which is no more. Ours is a new state. We have a chance to create new traditions.” He also charged the ruling party of being ‘thankless’ to the Congress, which created Telangana State, against all the odds and putting its own political interests at stake. “Despite stiff resistance for Telangana in the Parliament from various quarters, Sonia Gandhi gave Telangana state. Instead of remaining thankful to Congress for this, the ruling party is trying to weaken the same party through defections,” Mr Jana Reddy said.