VIJAYAWADA: The Telugu Desam will skip the AP Assembly’s Budget Session that starts on March 7, Monday. The main opposition demanded an unconditional apology from YSRC ministers and legislators for their anti-Chandrababu Naidu utterings during the last session.
Opposition leader Chandrababu Naidu had boycotted the last assembly session, alleging insult to his wife, and vowed that he will return to the assembly only as the next chief minister. Recently, the TD leaders however proposed to attend the coming budget session to expose the wrong steps of the YSR Congress government.
The TD politburo discussed the scheduled budget session and the chances of the YSRC government reintroducing the Three Capitals bill and the bill for the formation of new districts. Several MLAs said TD members should attend the budget session to raise various public issues. Chief Minister Jagan received a big blow from the high court over the Three Capitals initiative, they noted.
Naidu addressed the politburo meeting and labelled the state assembly as Kuru Sabha while recalling the bitter experience he had when there were verbal assaults directed at his wife from some YSRC legislators.
The meeting considered whether it was fine if TD MLAs attended the house in the absence of Naidu, and arrived at the conclusion that it was not appropriate.
The Opposition TD has only 19 MLAs as four members, namely Vallabhaneni Vamsimohan, Karanam Balaram, Maddali Giridhar and Vasupalli Ganesh had shifted loyalties to the YSRC even as they did not quit the TD for fear of disqualification under the anti-defection law. Interestingly, among the 19 MLAs, Visakhapatnam (north) MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao has not been attending the meetings of TD.
Naidu has announced that he won’t be attending the assembly for the rest of the five-year term. So, technically, only 17 MLAs of the TD can attend the session.
TD general secretary Nara Lokesh said they will attend the assembly if the YSRC ministers and legislators expressed an unconditional apology for the insult they hurled on his parents. But, there was no response from the YSRC. Hence the TD will skip the budget session, he said.
TD sources said that practically four or five MLAs like K Atchannaidu, Payyavula Kesav, Nimmalarama Naidu, Anagani Satyaprasad and Buchaiah Chowdary will play an active role in the assembly and others were not very serious in attending the session. “Even if TD MLAs try hard, they will not get a chance to speak. If they get a chance, YSRC MLAs and ministers would shout them down.”
Considering all these, Naidu suggested the legislators to instead go to the people to win their support in the next two years and enable TD to wrest power from the YSRC.
