Turncoat row: Speaker to hear petition against Kadiyam

Hyderabad: Assembly speaker G Prasad Kumar is set to hear another key defection case, as scrutiny continues over BRS legislators accused of switching loyalties after the party's electoral setback.The speaker will hear the disqualification petition against Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari on Wednesday. The petition was filed last year by BRS MLA and party whip KP Vivekanand, who alleged that Srihari defected to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Srihari, however, has denied the charge. In an affidavit submitted to the speaker, he maintained that he continues to be a member of the BRS and has not joined the Congress party. The hearing comes amid a series of petitions moved against BRS MLAs accused of crossing over after the Congress came to power in Telangana. In all, disqualification petitions were filed against 10 BRS legislators, triggering intense political slugfest between the ruling party and the opposition over alleged defections and their legal validity. So far, the speaker has delivered verdicts in seven cases, giving a clean chit to those MLAs. The petition against Jagtial MLA M Sanjay Kumar remains pending, while the cases involving Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender and Srihari are yet to be decided. Crucial hearingLast week, the speaker was scheduled to hear the petition against Nagender. However, one of the petitioners and BJP floor leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy sought a deferment until after Feb 20, citing his preoccupation with the ongoing municipal elections. With only three cases left undecided, Wednesday's hearing is expected to be closely watched for signals on how the speaker intends to deal with the remaining defection petitions.