Narsapuram MP K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju sought President Ram Nath Kovind’s intervention for stalling the State government's ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘anti-public’ act of pushing through the decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions and CRDA Repeal Bills.
In a memorandum which he personally submitted to the President in New Delhi on Tuesday, Mr. Ramakrishna Raju insisted that since the matters are pending before the High Court for deciding on important constitutional questions and therefore are sub judice, it is mandatory to refer the Bills to the President, which is also must as per the second proviso to Article 200 of the Constitution.
He urged the President to elicit the opinion of the Attorney-General in view of the Bills’ far-reaching consequences for the State.
Mr. Ramakrishna Raju alleged that the State government was making a deliberate misinterpretation of clauses 1-b and 2-b of Article 197 to defend its wrongful stand on the Bills.
‘Wrong model’
He said the government’s move to divide the capital into executive, legislative and judicial would ruin the development of Amaravati, which was declared by the previous government as the new capital post-bifurcation in compliance with the AP Reorganisation Act (APRA) and where a massive expenditure was incurred on infrastructure creation.
Besides, if the South African model was adopted, the proposed three capitals would be scattered hundreds of kilometres apart.
Moreover, in the present financial crisis precipitated by COVID-19, any discussion on the three capitals which Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is very much fond of, should not be allowed, he observed.
Mr. Ramakrishna Raju said the Bills were passed in the Assembly but they were referred by the Council to the Select Committee. However, the government has frozen the process of the study of the Bills by the committee and went to the extent of passing a resolution for dissolving the Council itself.
He claimed that the Council disapproved the Bills as per Number 71 of its business rules.
“With ulterior motives,” the government reintroduced the Bills in the Assembly and got them passed. Against this backdrop, the Bills were sent to the Governor for ratification.
The MP said the Bills were in irreconcilable conflict with the reorganisation Act, which makes it obligatory for the Governor to send the controversial pieces of legislation to the President.