Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India], August 17 (ANI): Former Rajya Sabha member and Andhra Pradesh Congress Party State Media Chairman N Tulasi Reddy strongly criticised YSRCP president Jagan Mohan Reddy and the party's other ten MLAs for not attending the Assembly sessions, calling it the height of "foolishness, irresponsibility, and cowardice".
Speaking to the media at Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada on Monday, Tulasi Reddy said Jagan Mohan Reddy's statement that he would attend the Assembly only if the YSRCP were recognised as the principal Opposition party and he himself were recognised as the Leader of the Opposition was ridiculous and irrational.
He said that, according to established legislative conventions, a party needs at least 10% of the total strength of the Assembly to be recognised as the Opposition party by the Speaker. The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly has 175 members, and 10% amounts to 17.5, meaning 18 MLAs or more are required. At present, the YSRCP has only 11 MLAs--seven short of the required number. Therefore, the Speaker has not granted the party Opposition status, nor has Jagan been recognised as the Leader of the Opposition.
Tulasi Reddy recalled that in the 1994 undivided Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, the Congress party won 26 seats out of a total of 294. Ten per cent of 294 was 29, leaving Congress three seats short. Consequently, Congress was not given Opposition-party status, and P. Janardhan Reddy was not recognised as the Leader of the Opposition. Nevertheless, P. Janardhan Reddy attended the Assembly as the Congress floor leader and effectively raised public issues and participated in debates.
"He said the same convention applied in Parliament as well. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Congress won only 44 of the 543 seats, falling ten seats short of the 10% requirement, and therefore was not granted the status of the principal Opposition party. Similarly, in 2019, Congress won 52 seats when 54 were required, and it still was not granted Opposition-party status," he said, as per the release.
"Despite knowing all this, Jagan Mohan Reddy saying that he will attend the Assembly only if his party is given Opposition-party status and he is given the status of Leader of the Opposition is the height of foolishness," Tulasi Reddy said. He added that the YSRCP MLAs supporting Jagan's stand amounted to "the height of servility."
He questioned the purpose of contesting elections if the party was unwilling to attend Assembly sessions. He said the YSRCP should either dissolve itself or face a decisive defeat at the hands of the people, describing these as the only possible solutions.
Tulasi Reddy expressed concern over the extremely difficult situation faced by farmers in the state, saying that agriculture was no longer economically viable. He said that while the Congress government had created an atmosphere in which agriculture was regarded as a celebration, under the present coalition government the situation had turned into one where agriculture was being treated as a burden.
Producing a crop itself is one challenge, he said, but selling it is an even bigger problem. Farmers growing chilli, tobacco, tomatoes, onions, bananas, mangoes, turmeric and Bengal gram, among other crops, are not receiving remunerative prices," Reddy said.
He alleged that crop insurance was not being properly implemented, compensation for crop losses was not being provided on time, and the zero-interest agricultural loan scheme had effectively been abandoned. He also criticised the inadequate implementation of drip irrigation and the sharp rise in fertiliser prices.
According to Tulasi Reddy, farmers have become deeply trapped in debt. Unable to escape the debt burden and unwilling to lose their self-respect, some farmers are resorting to suicide. He expressed concern that Andhra Pradesh ranks third nationally in farmer suicides.
Tulasi Reddy urged both the Central and State governments to pay special attention to the plight of farmers. (ANI)
"Height of foolishness, cowardice": AP Congress leader Tulasi Reddy slams YSRCP for skipping Assembly sessions
