Won't take oath administered by Akbaruddin Owaisi: Telangana BJP MLA
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA-elect Raja Singh has opposed All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi's appointment as the pro-tem speaker of the Telangana Assembly. On Friday, Singh claimed he and other saffron brigade MLAs wouldn't participate in the oath-taking ceremony on Saturday, with Owaisi presiding over the proceedings. The newly-elected MLAs of Telangana are set to be sworn in during the first session of the legislative assembly on Saturday.
Why does this story matter?
The 53-year-old Owaisi, also the brother of AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi, was appointed as the pro-tem speaker on Friday for the first session of the third Telangana State Legislative Assembly. As per a state legislature release, Owaisi has been appointed to perform the speaker's duties until a speaker is elected under Article 178 of the Constitution of India. However, his appointment turned into a massive political controversy in Telangana.
Singh's previous oath boycott, criticism of Congress
In a video message, Singh said that he and other BJP MLAs will take oaths only after a full-time Telangana Assembly speaker is appointed. He also recalled not taking the oath administered by a pro-tem speaker belonging to the AIMIM in 2018. Separately, Singh told ANI that the Congress's real face has come to the fore since the grand old party formed its government in Telangana, suggesting it has ties with the AIMIM.
You can check out Singh remarks here
All you need to know about pro-tem speaker's role
To note, a pro-tem speaker is a temporary officer of the House who conducts the assembly session until all the newly-elected MLAs are officially sworn in and a full-time speaker is elected. Once the speaker of the assembly is officially elected, the position of the pro-tem speaker is dissolved, allowing the former to take over the role.
Congress's recent assembly poll win in Telangana
This development came just a few days after the Congress registered a landmark victory in the recent Telangana Assembly polls, dethroning the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government. As per the final assembly election results, the grand old party secured a landslide victory with 64 seats, while the BRS managed to win 39, the BJP got just eight, and the AIMIN won seven of the 119 seats.
