Unprecedented scenes emerged from the Telangana Assembly on Monday as Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar was seen in tears after alleged derogatory and objectionable remarks made in the House.

District Congress Committee President of Khairatabad, Hyderabad, Motha Rohit Mudiraj has submitted a complaint seeking immediate legal action against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC T Madhusudan over the remarks. The insults hurled at the Speaker left him in tears, Congress leaders alleged.

Mudiraj urged the police to verify video evidence, register an FIR, preserve digital evidence, conduct a fair investigation, and take appropriate legal action as per law.Peddapalli MP Gaddam Vamsi Krishna strongly criticised BRS Working President K T Rama Rao over the developments that took place on the Assembly premises on Monday.

Scuffles were witnessed between police and BRS MLAs who turned up in black clothes to protest against the state’s A Revanth Reddy government. Krishna alleged that KTR encouraged his party MLAs to hurl insults.

The Parliamentarian condemned the alleged assault on a female constable who was on duty and said cases must be registered against BRS MLAs responsible for the act.

“The Leader of the Opposition does not attend the House… BRS MLAs assaulted female constables, and cases must be registered against them for this act,” Krishna said.

According to a number of Dalit Congress MLAs and MLCs, BRS’s Madhusudan made derogatory remarks against Speaker Kumar when police stopped opposition legislators outside the legislature premises.

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They described the remarks as an insult to the Dalit community and the office of the Speaker.

Madhusudan denied making any comments against the Speaker. In a statement, he said he regretted any remarks attributed to him and would withdraw them if they were construed as being directed against the Speaker.

Tumultuous start

The session itself got off to a tumultuous start, with BJP members raising slogans and demanding an immediate debate on the inclusion of private lands belonging to citizens in the prohibitive list under Section 22-A of the Registration Act, which bars registrations and other transactions involving such properties.

The BJP members did not relent despite Speaker Kumar appealing to them to allow the proceedings to continue. Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu said the government was ready for a debate on the issue.

The Speaker subsequently adjourned the House.

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During the adjournment, high drama unfolded outside the legislature as BRS members wearing black T-shirts were stopped by police.

When the House resumed, BJP members again pressed for a debate on the prohibitive list of lands. They relented after CM Reddy assured them that the matter would be taken up for discussion later.

Speaking on the controversy over the alleged remarks, Reddy termed them an insult to the four crore people of Telangana and described the episode as a “dark day” for the state.

He alleged that BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), who had held a meeting with the party’s MLAs and MLCs on Sunday, had incited them to behave in such a manner.

(With PTI inputs)