File photo of Danasari Anasuya alias Seethakka | Photo Credit: The Hindu
Telangana Legislative Assembly has taken a serious view of a morphed video of the Assembly proceedings insulting Panchayat Raj Minister Danasari Anasuya alias Seethakka in circulation in the social media.
Assembly Speaker G. Prasad Kumar said orders would be issued for a serious examination of the morphed video and stringent action will be initiated against those found guilty of the offence. The Speaker said civil society would hang its head in shame once it watches the morphed video and therefore it was decided o deal sternly with such developments.
He was responding to Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu’s request in the House on August 2. The Minister, during a discussion on amendments to Telangana Civil Courts Act expressed concern that the morphed video was an affront to the dignity of the House. “All the legislators need to join hands cutting across party lines in protecting the dignity of the House,” he said.
BRS member K.T. Rama Rao suggested that the House study the practices in the Parliament on whether taking videos and photographs inside the House was permitted. Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was an MP in the past, said there was no such provision in the Parliament and it was strictly prohibited. He recalled that a Congress Rajya Sabha member Rajni Patil was suspended for The entire session on the charges that she tooK videos of the proceedings in the Upper House.
On the apprehensions expressed by some members that the new laws introduced by the Central Government had draconian provisions, Mr. Sridhar Babu said the Government was committed to protect the interests of all sections. It would take steps to see that there was no “police raj” and ensure that police worked with humanitarian angle in discharge of their duties.
The State Government was closely examining the provisions of the new laws and would take an appropriate decision once the study was completed. “We have to see how far they (new laws) serve the interests of the State,” he said when Mr. Rama Rao said that States like Karnataka, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu amended the provisions of the new laws to suit their requirements.
Mr. Sridhar Babu said rules and procedures would vary from House to House and the other States would have made amendments that suited their requirements.
Bill replacing TS with TG passed
The Legislative Assembly also passed a Bill replacing the acronym TS for Telangana State with TG. This was made with reference to all the State laws – enactment, regulation, order, bye-law, rule, scheme, notification or other instruments. The decision was taken for reflecting the aspirations of the people and their decades long struggle for separate statehood. This was also in accordance with the standard two letter format used for other Indian states like TN for Tamil Nadu, KL for Kerala, AP for Andhra Pradesh and MP for Madhya Pradesh.
“The Council of Ministers has decided to adopt TG as the official abbreviation of the State representing the State’s identity and recognition, Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu who moved the Bill on behalf of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said.
