Speaker can’t merge parties, says Uttam Kumar Reddy

Hyderabad: TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has written to Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy, requesting immediate disqualification of the MLAs who have defected from the Congress, in accordance with the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.   

In his letter sent on Saturday, Mr Reddy said that the disqualification petitions are pending with him and added that the MLAs leaving the party was a betrayal of the mandate of the voters in their constituencies as well as the people of Telangana state in general.

The TPCC chief said that there were media reports that the MLAs who have defected would hold a CLP (Congress Legislature Party) meeting and submit a resolution to the speaker regarding its merger with the TRS Legislature Party.

Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy said that according to the Constitution of India, as held in several Supreme Court judgments, the Speaker is not a competent authority to merge one political party with another.

He said no CLP meeting was permissible without the permission of the president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee.

Mr Uttam Kumar Reddy requested the Speaker to disqualify immediately the Congress MLAs who defected from the Congress to the ruling TRS, and said no application or representation from them could be taken up without deciding on their disqualification.

The TPCC chief also said that under the constitution of the Indian National Congress, state units have no power to merge with other parties. He said a national party cannot be merged with a regional party. He requested the Speaker to treat his letter as a caveat and urged the Speaker to issue a notice to the MLAs regarding their disqualification.