In a major disciplinary move on Sunday, Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar suspended 24 Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs from the Telangana Assembly for a period of two days following a resolution moved by Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu. The suspension of the BRS members, which included prominent leaders like K.T. Rama Rao and T. Harish Rao, came after the opposition repeatedly stalled proceedings by demanding a House Committee to probe allegations of illegal mining and corruption against Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. While the government rejected the demand—arguing that a CB CID inquiry into state mining activities since 2014 was already sufficient—the BRS legislators continued to protest in the well of the House, leading to heated exchanges and the eventual voice vote for their removal.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy defended the action, accusing the opposition of using the demand for a committee as a “blackmail” tactic and urging them to present any available evidence to the ongoing CID investigation instead. Following their suspension, the BRS MLAs staged a protest within the Assembly premises, claiming the ruling party was stifling the voice of the opposition. With the Budget session scheduled to conclude on March 31, the move effectively sidelines the main opposition party for the final working days of the session.