Jagan Mohan Reddy Alleges YSRCP Denied LoP Status To Silence Its Voice
Jagan Mohan Reddy alleges YSRCP was denied LoP status deliberately.
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday accused the Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition government of withholding Leader of Opposition (LoP) status from the principal Opposition party to limit its voice in the legislature. Addressing YSRCP legislators ahead of the Monsoon Session beginning August 17, Reddy urged party members to raise public-interest issues forcefully in the Legislative Council.
Reddy directed YSRCP MLCs to remain vigilant and question what he described as failures of the state government. The YSRCP has been boycotting the Assembly for nearly two years while demanding LoP status. Reddy maintained that the party would continue to bring people's concerns before the public through the media despite its absence from the Assembly.
He asked legislators to focus on alleged irregularities in the District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment process, referring to protests undertaken by the party over the issue. Reddy also alleged irregularities involving leakage and outsourcing, sports quota rules and changes to government orders. He reiterated the party's demand for a CBI inquiry into the alleged involvement of Education Minister Nara Lokesh, son of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, in the matter.
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Reddy also directed the legislators to raise concerns over pending fee reimbursement and Vasathi Deevena payments. He claimed that bills for 13 quarters had accumulated to more than Rs 9,100 crore under fee reimbursement and Rs 3,300 crore under Vasathi Deevena, while alleging that the government had released only Rs 2,900 crore. He asked MLCs to seek a detailed discussion on the issue during the session.
Farmers' concerns were another major focus of his instructions. Reddy alleged that farmers were not receiving minimum support prices for crops, adequate irrigation water was unavailable and free crop insurance had been suspended. He also urged legislators to question viability-gap funding for public-private partnership projects and concessions to private players, arguing that such measures could increase the financial burden on the government and people.
Reddy further directed party legislators to raise issues involving the repeal of the Disha Bill, cases against backward-class leaders, the junior doctors' strike and employee dissatisfaction. He also referred to concerns among women, youth and unemployed people and urged MLCs to enter the House fully prepared with relevant data. The YSRCP chief maintained that the party's legislators should use the Monsoon Session to present its assessment of the government's performance and press for discussions on public-interest matters.
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