‘What about insult to my mother?’ Telangana Speaker day after he broke down in House

As stormy scenes continued on the second day of the monsoon session of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, the House passed a resolution that Leader of Opposition K Chandrashekar Rao “should own responsibility for the unbecoming conduct of the members of his party.” The resolution also stated that KCR should tender unconditional apology to the Speaker “in the interest of institutional integrity, decency and decorum of this House”.

This comes a day after Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar was seen in tears after alleged derogatory and objectionable remarks made in the House. Earlier in the day, while stating that a report on the alleged police action against BRS's women MLAs will soon be submitted before the House, the Speaker asked, “But what about the insult to me and my mother?” The resolution against KCR was moved by Minister for Health and Family Welfare Damodar Raja Narasimha on Tuesday evening.

In the morning, Telangana police had arrested BRS MLCs Tata Madhusudan, also known as Tata Madhu, and Naveen Kumar Reddy for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Speaker Kumar. Both the accused were released on personal surety or bond later in the day.

Madhusudan and Naveen Reddy were suspended for the remainder of the session in the Legislative Council. A resolution to this effect was moved in the Council by Minister D Sridhar Babu. The action came after the Legislative Assembly resolved that since Madhusudhan and Kumar Reddy are Members of the Legislative Council, a copy of this resolution, together with the notice of breach of privilege issued by the members, be placed before the House and the proceedings be forwarded to the Chairman of the Telangana Legislative Council for consideration and for taking action.

The two MLCs were booked under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act late on Monday night, following complaints over their remarks against the Speaker. Speaker Prasad Kumar is a Dalit.

The arrests came a day after the Assembly witnessed intense protests. Scuffles were seen between police and BRS MLAs who turned up in black clothes to protest against the state’s A Revanth Reddy government. While the BRS MLAs and MLCs were not allowed into the House, it is alleged that Madhusudan hurled abuses at the Speaker.

According to a number of Dalit Congress MLAs and MLCs, Madhusudan made derogatory remarks against Speaker Kumar when police stopped opposition legislators outside the legislature premises. On Tuesday too, the session got off to a tumultuous start, with BRS MLAs alleging that in Monday’s police action, women legislators of their party came in harm's way.

BRS leader T Harish Rao accused the government of allowing its police to target their party’s women MLAs. To this, the Speaker said that a report on the police action will soon be submitted before the House. “But what about the insult to me and my mother,” the Speaker asked.

The House, meanwhile, recorded its “strongest condemnation and profound disapproval of the highly derogatory, insulting and unparliamentary utterances purported to have been made by Madhusudhan and Kumar Reddy.” The House also condemned in “unequivocal words the indecent behaviour of the two members by removing the T-shirts in public before women which, besides being highly objectionable, amounts to outrage of the modesty of the women present at the place of the incident”, the resolution read.

The House “considers such conduct to be wholly unbecoming of a Member of the Legislative Council and seriously prejudicial to the dignity, authority and constitutional position of the Speaker and to the dignity, privileges and institutional integrity of the Telangana Legislative Assembly”, the resolution noted.

As per the resolution, “The House declared that no political disagreement, personal grievance or difference of opinion can justify conduct intended or having the effect of lowering the dignity and authority of the Presiding Officer or impairing the orderly functioning of the Legislative Assembly.” Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad.

With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice. Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics.

Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states.

Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India. Expertise & Focus Areas Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy.

Her core focus areas include: Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India. Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.

Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities. National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.

Authoritativeness & Trust A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula.

Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced,...