Budget session of Andhra Pradesh assembly begins, special status demand reiterated

Amidst a boycott by opposition, the budget session of Andhra Pradesh assembly began at its proposed capital Amaravati on Monday, with governor E S L Narasimhan reiterating the state’s demand for special category status and implementation of all promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act.

The only opposition, YSR Congress party’s boycott continued for the second consecutive time in protest against the indifferent attitude of speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao over its demand to disqualify 23 of its MLAs who had defected to the ruling Telugu Desam Party over the last three-and-a-half years.

However, YSRC president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who had been on a marathon 3,000 km long padayatra (foot march), said its remaining MLAs would go to the assembly for one day when the party’s nominee for Rajya Sabha elections Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy files his nomination papers later this week. And if elections are necessitated, they would go again to vote, he said.

On the other hand, the BJP, an alliance partner of the TDP both in state and at the Centre, in its meeting held in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, decided to play the role of the opposition, if necessary, in the absence of the YSRC. “We shall raise issues of public concern, besides questioning the government on the spending of central funds released under various schemes and misuse of funds under national rural employment guarantee scheme etc,” BJP floor leader P Vishnukumar Raju said.

Addressing the joint session of the assembly and legislative council at Amaravati, governor Narasimhan said it was the people’s demand that the Centre expedite the resolution of all provisions incorporated in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act and assurances made in relation to it, including according the Special Category status.

“As per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, and the assurances made, the Centre has to fulfil commitments of Special Category Status, bridging the resource gap, completion of the Polavaram project with Central funds, formation of a railway zone, establishment of green field crude oil refinery and petrochemical complex, financial assistance to Amaravati and so on,” Narasimhan said.

Stating that the bifurcation of the combined state had resulted in several difficulties and some of them stand unresolved till date, the governor said the government had been making rigorous efforts to get all the issues listed above are implemented, he said.