BJP against appointment of Akbaruddin Owaisi as Pro-tem Speaker of Assembly: Telangana BJP chief

On December 9th, 2023, the political landscape of Telangana was marked by a significant controversy as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expressed strong opposition to the appointment of Akbaruddin Owaisi as the Pro-tem Speaker of the Telangana State Legislative Assembly. Akbaruddin Owaisi, an MLA from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), had been sworn in as the Pro-tem Speaker, an event that did not sit well with the BJP.

The BJP's discontent was voiced by Telangana BJP chief G Kishan Reddy, who made it clear that he and other BJP MLAs would not participate in the oath-taking ceremony presided over by Owaisi. 

"BJP is against the appointment of Akbaruddin Owaisi as Pro-tem Speaker (of Telangana Assembly). This is against the tradition of appointing senior MLAs to the post. BJP MLAs will boycott taking oath before this Pro-tem Speaker. Our MLAs will take oath after a Speaker is appointed. We will never ally with such a party (AIMIM). We will go to the Governor on this," said Reddy.

Also Read: AIMIM's Akbaruddin Owaisi appointed pro-tem speaker of Telangana Assembly

Despite the BJP's threat to boycott the oath-taking event, the party announced that its newly-elected MLAs would meet with the state party president G Kishan Reddy on the same morning and then offer prayers at the Goddess Bhagya Lakshmi temple in Hyderabad.

The BJP holds 8 seats in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, and their refusal to participate in the oath-taking ceremony under Akbaruddin Owaisi's supervision highlights the political tensions within the state. 

This development has garnered attention and is indicative of the challenges that may lie ahead for the legislative assembly's functioning amidst such stark ideological differences.