Telangana: BJP abstains from attending swearing-in ceremony of Akbaruddin Owaisi as Pro-tem Speaker, citing Congress’s alleged disregard for senior members

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opted to abstain from attending the swearing-in ceremony of Akbaruddin Owaisi as the Pro-tem Speaker of the Telangana Assembly, alleging that the Congress government overlooked senior candidates for the position, contrary to established House traditions. Akbaruddin Owaisi, the Floor Leader of AIMIM and MLA for Chandrayangutta, assumed the Pro-tem Speaker role for the inaugural session of the third Telangana State Legislative Assembly.

The Telangana BJP legislators boycotted the ceremony, asserting that there was evidence of a clandestine agreement between the Congress and AIMIM. Gujjula Premender Reddy, the BJP Telangana General Secretary, expressed dissatisfaction, stating, “There is a tradition in the state assembly that the one who is senior and has won many times becomes the Pro-tem Speaker. But the Congress government and AIMIM reached an agreement under the table and they appointed him (Owaisi), ignoring the seniors. (As) they have made the leader of the Majlis party the interim Speaker, we are boycotting it (the oath-taking ceremony) as a protest.”

He also referred to Rahul Gandhi’s pre-election claim of an alliance between BJP, BRS, and AIMIM, suggesting that the recent developments confirmed a prior association between Congress and AIMIM. The BJP leader emphasized that their newly elected MLAs would take the oath only after the regular Speaker is elected.

Earlier in the day, Akbaruddin Owaisi was sworn in as the Pro-tem Speaker at Raj Bhawan, Hyderabad, with Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan administering the oath. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy attended the ceremony. Simultaneously, BJP MLAs visited Raj Bhawan to meet the state Governor and voice their disapproval of Akbaruddin Owaisi’s appointment.