Hyderabad: What is common between Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Ram? These three names rocked the floor of the Telangana Assembly during the discussion on the state budget 2026-27 on Tuesday, March 24.
It all began when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Floor Leader A Maheshwar Reddy was about to conclude his speech by detailing how many funds the Centre has given to the state government. When the mention of Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB—G RAM G) Act, 2025, came up, the Congress legislators were more than enraged.
Women and Child Welfare Minister Danasari Anasuya alias Seethakka intervened and said the Centre changed the name of the scheme, which was previously Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), to erase the legacy of the father of the nation.
She questioned what the BJP leaders could speak about Gandhi, who had sacrificed his entire life in the freedom struggle. She said that it was Godse who killed Gandhi, and that Godse belonged to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
She reminded that it was Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, who was the then Union Home Minister, who had banned the RSS after the assassination of Gandhi.
Maheshwar Reddy corrected her by saying “Godse Garu” was not a member of RSS, and demanded that she withdraw her statement.
Reddy stated that the newly amended G Ram G scheme was better than its MGNREGS version, because now the Centre has mandated 150 days of work, and also assured compensation to the workers if work was not provided to them within 15 days.
Seethakka contested the claim, saying the Centre has now made the contribution between the Centre and state governments on a 60:40 basis, which meant the Centre was now going to pay for only around 70 days of work, which was less than 100 days of work as enshrined in MGNREGS.
As Reddy was continuing his speech, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar stood and dared the BJP members to seek funds from the Centre and join the state government to demand the same.
“Just wearing a saffron scarf and feeling as if you are the only ones carrying Hinduism is not right. If you have guts, bring funds from the Centre,” Ponnam demanded.
He even went on to read slokas in praise of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman.
He was joined by Animal Husbandry Minister Vakiti Srihari, who told the BJP MLAs that even he was an ardent Hindu, and would not even drink water without offering prayers in the morning. He told the BJP members that respecting other faiths is as important as being a Hindu.
Amidst the melee, the Speaker gave the mic to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Mohammad Majid Hussain to speak, and the argument subsided.
