‘Will boycott…’, Telangana BJP MLAs refuse to take oath after Akbaruddin Owaisi appointed pro-tem Speaker

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA-elect Raja Singh expressed his disapproval of Akbaruddin Owaisi's appointment as the Telangana assembly's pro-tem speaker, saying he and other BJP MLAs would not take part in the oath-taking ceremony with the AIMIM lawmaker presiding over the proceedings. The event is scheduled to take place at 11 am on Saturday.

In a video message, Raja Singh called it “unfortunate” and said the Congress' real face has come to the fore after it formed the government in Telangana.

“After Congress formed the government and Revanth Reddy became the CM, Congress' real face has come to the fore. Every time Revanth Reddy used to make a statement that BJP AIMIM and BRS are one but the people of Telangana have known who is with whom...We will not take oath in front of such a person...We will boycott…,” he said.

Many senior MLAs could have been made pro tem speaker but Reddy was seeking to appease minorities and AIMIM leaders, he alleged. 

BJP in a release said the newly-elected MLAs (8) would meet state party president G Kishan Reddy on Saturday morning and later offer prayers at the Goddess Bhagya Lakshmi temple at Charminar in the city.

State Congress spokesperson Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy countered Raja Singh saying that pro tem Speaker is a matter related to the Constitution and that some senior MLA has to be appointed to the post. It does not show that we are with the AIMIM by making him pro-tem Speaker.

"We don't have to polarise a community to survive in politics," the Congress spokesperson added.

AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi took oath taken oath as Protem Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly in Raj Bhawan, Hyderabad on Saturday morning. 

The oath was administered by Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was also present on the occasion.

(With inputs from agencies)