Telangana Assembly Row: Revanth Reddy Explains Why BRS MLAs Were Stopped Over Black T-Shirts

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has defended the government’s position after BRS legislators were stopped from entering the Assembly premises while wearing black T-shirts carrying slogans against the Congress government.

The confrontation took place on the opening day of the Telangana Assembly’s Monsoon Session, when BRS leaders including K.T. Rama Rao and T. Harish Rao arrived in black T-shirts as part of a protest over what the party described as the Congress government’s failure to fulfil its electoral promises.

Police prevented the legislators from entering the premises, saying the issue was not the colour black but the political slogans printed on the T-shirts. The confrontation subsequently turned into a scuffle, and several BRS leaders were detained.

Revanth Reddy Points to Difference Between Parliament and Assembly Rules

Revanth Reddy said the rules governing Parliament and the Telangana Assembly are different.

His comments came after BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao questioned why Rahul Gandhi had previously been able to wear black clothing during protests in Parliament while BRS legislators were stopped at the Telangana Assembly.

The Congress government’s position, as explained by Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu, was that black clothing itself was not prohibited. He said legislators could wear black, but T-shirts carrying political slogans were not permitted under Assembly rules.

Sridhar Babu also argued that the relevant rules had been framed during the previous BRS government.

BRS Says It Was a Peaceful Form of Protest

The BRS has strongly objected to the action, arguing that its legislators were attempting to register a political protest against the Congress government’s record after 1,000 days in office.

The T-shirts carried messages criticising the government’s implementation of its election promises. KTR questioned whether different standards were being applied to opposition leaders in Parliament and the state legislature.

The confrontation outside the Assembly also resulted in allegations of excessive use of force. BRS leaders claimed that some legislators, including women members, were manhandled during the incident. These allegations were disputed in the political exchange.

Telangana High Court Raises Questions Over Police Action

The dispute later moved to the Telangana High Court, which questioned the police action at the Assembly entrance.

The court observed that if legislators violated Assembly rules, the Speaker was the authority responsible for taking action rather than the police. It directed the police not to prevent BRS legislators from entering the Assembly and ordered the Director General of Police to identify the officers allegedly responsible for the conduct during the confrontation.

The court also expressed concern over the treatment of women legislators during the incident and questioned whether the police action was appropriate.

The matter has been posted for further hearing.

A Dispute That Goes Beyond the Colour Black

At the centre of the controversy are therefore two competing interpretations.

The Congress government’s position is that black clothing was not banned, but political slogans printed on T-shirts violated Assembly rules.

The BRS argues that the restrictions prevented elected representatives from using clothing as a form of peaceful political protest and has questioned the consistency of the rules.

The High Court’s intervention has added another important dimension to the dispute, particularly concerning who has the authority to enforce Assembly rules within the legislature’s premises.

The confrontation has since become part of the wider political battle between the ruling Congress and the BRS, with both sides using the episode to reinforce their respective arguments over democracy, legislative conduct and the rights of opposition legislators.