In a heated political exchange, a sexist remark from a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader has sparked a sharp rebuke from a Congress member. During a press conference, Telangana BJP MLA P Kaushik Reddy mocked defecting MLAs by displaying a saree and bangles, suggesting they should wear them instead. He criticized the defectors, saying, “You are not men, so wear these and go around.”
In response, Congress leader Bandru Shoba Rani, also the chairperson of the state women’s co-operative development corporation and a state Congress vice president, fired back by showing a shoe and warning, “You showed saree and bangles. I will show you footwear. We will beat you up with footwear if you insult women.”
This dispute follows the defection of 10 BRS MLAs to the Congress after the BRS lost power in the recent Assembly elections. The BRS has demanded the disqualification of these MLAs, and the issue has reached the Telangana High Court. On Monday, the court directed the Assembly Secretary to present the disqualification petitions for three defected BRS MLAs—Danam Nagender, Tellam Venkat Rao, and Kadiyam Srihari—before Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. The court has requested a schedule for hearing and deciding on these petitions within four weeks.
BRS Working President K T Rama Rao hailed the court’s directive as a victory for democracy, emphasizing the importance of transparency and adherence to the people’s mandate.
