Jagan denied LoP status, YSRCP boycotts session
The YSRCP has only 11 MLAs in the 175-member state assembly, while it requires at least 18 members for a party to get the leader of opposition status in the lower house
The YSR Congress Party, the main opposition party in Andhra Pradesh, boycotted the winter session of the Andhra Pradesh state legislative assembly, which commenced on Monday, to protest against the denial of the leader of opposition status to its president and former chief minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy
The YSRCP has only 11 MLAs in the 175-member state assembly, while it requires at least 18 members for a party to get the leader of opposition status in the lower house.
Jagan, along with 10 other YSRCP members, stayed away from the proceedings of the assembly wherein the NDA government led by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, presented its first budget for 2024-25.
The party also boycotted the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the assembly presided over by speaker Ch Ayyanna Patrudu. The BAC decided that the session will continue up to November 22 to discuss the demands for grants of various departments, besides passing a few bills.
The speaker said the assembly session would continue irrespective of whether any member attended or not. “The session will have serious discussions on various issues of public concern. It is the responsibility of all the MLAs to attend the session to represent the issues of people,” he said.
On Jagan’s decision to stay away from the assembly, Patrudu said that if he continued to boycott the sessions in future, law would take its own course. “We shall also provide training classes for the newly elected MLAs. If required, session will continue even till late in the night,” the speaker added.
Last week, Jagan told reporters that there was no point in attending the assembly session when the speaker was refusing to acknowledge his party as the main opposition.
“Moreover, it is for sure that the YSRCP doesn’t get any opportunity to raise the voice in the house. At the most I may get just two minutes to speak. When the ruling party wants to suppress my voice, why should I go to the assembly?” he said, adding that as a responsible opposition, his party will continue to raise its voice on public issues through the media.
However, Jagan declared that his party would attend the state legislative council meeting. The YSRCP has a majority in the 58-member council with a strength of 37 MLCs, while the NDA has only 10.
On Monday, Jagan held a meeting with his party MLCs at his Tadepalli office and asked them to expose the government failures, question its policies, and address the ruling party’s refusal to recognise YSRCP as the official opposition.
He said the YSRCP had filed a petition in the high court seeking official opposition status in the assembly, but the Speaker has not yet responded to the counter. The YSRCP remains the sole opposition in the assembly, but is being denied rightful recognition.
“The ruling party seems unwilling to grant opposition status to YSRCP despite the latter getting nearly 40% vote share in the elections, as it doesn’t want to allocate time and opportunities for the opposition to question the government,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jagan’s sister and Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president YS Sharmila lashed out at her brother for boycotting the state assembly session, describing it as “stupid” and “foolish” decision.
In a statement, Sharmila said people did not vote for Jagan and his party MLAs to run away from the assembly on the pretext that they are not given the leader of the opposition status or will not be given a chance to speak in the assembly.
“You did not get elected to sit at home and speak through your mouthpiece media. It is only because of your own wrongdoings that the people have not given you the leader of the opposition status. To say that you will enter the assembly only if you are given the LoP status shows your foolishness and stupidity,” she said.
Stating that the legislative assembly is a temple of democracy, Sharmila said it was a big opportunity to the elected members to represent the problems of the people and pull up the ruling party on people’s issues.