The appointment of AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi as pro tem speaker in Telangana sparked controversy when BJP MLAs not only opposed the move but also refused to take oath under his chair. BJP’s firebrand MLA T Raja Singh said that party MLA Owaisi will not take oath. Telangana BJP chief G Kishan Reddy said that the election of the new speaker should not be done under the leadership of Owaisi.
“Can I take oath in front of the person (Akbaruddin Owaisi) who had made anti-Hindu comments in the past,” asked Singh, who won from Goshmahal assembly seat. He further said, “Our MLAs will take oath after the Speaker is appointed. We will never form an alliance with such a party (AIMIM). We will go to the Governor on this.”
T Raja Singh alleged that Congress Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was afraid of AIMIM, just like his predecessor K Chandrasekhar Rao.
AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi took oath as Protem Speaker of Telangana Assembly at Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad today. The oath was administered by Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan. The BJP said Owaisi has been appointed pro tem speaker on the recommendation of the ruling Congress government.
Being the senior most member of the assembly, the AIMIM MLA has been appointed pro tem speaker. He was elected from Chandrayangutta constituency of Hyderabad for the sixth consecutive time in the elections held last month.
“We have won 8 seats and reached 14% vote percentage in the state… There is a tradition of appointing a senior leader as pro tem speaker. However, Congress chose Akbaruddin Owaisi for the post because of his understanding with AIMIM. Has been appointed. We object to this. We demand that the election of the Assembly Speaker should not be held with this pro tem speaker. We will also convey the same to the state governor,” Kishan Reddy said.