Speaker mulls request for ‘Best MLA’ award

Hyderabad: Assembly speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Wednesday said he will consider the request for introducing the ‘Best MLA' Award on the lines of ‘Best Parliamentarian'.Meanwhile, legislative affairs minister D Sridhar Babu criticised BRS MLCs and MLAs for boycotting the first orientation programme for first-time legislators in the last 10 years in Telangana.Sridhar Babu said it was a two-day programme and that BRS members should attend it at least on the second day, Thursday, at MCRHRD Institute. He emphasised that it was not a Congress event but was meant for all the legislators."Not only Congress, but even BJP MLAs attended. The lone CPI MLA is also here. This orientation programme was organised to provide information and training MLCs and MLAs on the rules, procedures, responsibilities, and their rights in the respective Houses. This initiative will only help the legislators perform better in the assembly and council by raising people's issues as per the rules of the House and live up to the expectations of the people," he said. He called upon the 57 first-time legislators to ensure that they attend each and every session as the House belonged to all the members, and not to any one political party.Prasad Kumar said it was not correct on the part of BRS leader KT Rama Rao to cast aspersions on the speaker itself.Council chairman Gutha Sukender Reddy advised the elected representatives to receive phone calls from the people and not depend upon their PROs and personal assistants. There were instances when people distanced themselves from their local MLAs due to "harsh or inappropriate response to their phone calls to the ministers". Many such MLAs failed to win the elections again, he added.