TDP moves Andhra Pradesh High Court over probe into its government’s policies

VIJAYAWADA: Opposition TDP and its politburo member and general secretary Varla Ramaiah on Friday filed a petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court against the government’s decision to review decisions taken by the previous TDP government. The petitions sought quashing of the GOs issued by the State government to form a Cabinet Sub-Committee to review the policies and projects of the previous government and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to investigate alleged irregularities that took place under the previous government.

The YSRC government issued GO 1411 on June 26, 2019 to set up a Cabinet Sub-Committee to review the policies, schemes, projects of the previous TDP government. Subsequently, it issued GO 344 on February 21, 2020 forming a SIT headed by IPS officer Dr K Raghuram Reddy to probe irregularities found by the Cabinet Sub Committee.

Varla Ramaiah, in his petition, said that the present government constituted the CSC and the SIT only to defame the TDP. He questioned as to how a government can review the policy decisions of the previous government. Varla Ramaiah maintained that the policy decisions are different from political parties and the governments take decisions depending on the situation at that time. Contending that a government is elected by people, Ramaiah said power lies with the elected government to take a decision based on the circumstances.

There is no provision in the Constitution that a new government reviews the decisions of the previous governments, he said and added that the people have voted the government not to review the previous government’s policies. Ramaiah said the GOs issued by the government are not in accordance with the Constitution and maintained that the government had not mentioned in the GOs as to why it is reviewing the policies and decisions of the previous government. The government does not have a valid reason to issue the GOs and they are against the principles of natural justice, he said. Seeking an interim stay on the operating of the GOs till the hearing of the case is completed, Ramaiah sought for the court to quash the two GOs.