Winter session of Assembly likely in 3rd week of Nov

VIJAYAWADA: The winter session of the State Assembly is likely to be held in the third week of this month. The session may be of at least 10 days and it is likely to be stormy with both the ruling YSRC and opposition TDP set to attack each other.

The State Cabinet meeting on Thursday, will take a call on the date of convening the Assembly session and it may meet after Deepavali, sources said. “The Assembly session will be convened in the third week and it will sit for at least 10 days,” a minister said.

Asked about the likely agenda of the Assembly session, he said pressing issues like the ongoing tussle between the government and the judiciary in the State and the Polavaram project revised cost estimates will take the centrestage. 

“The issue (confrontation between the government and the High Court) will be discussed on the floor of the Assembly. So that, the message will reach the masses,” sources in the government said, adding that the proceedings of the Assembly do not come under the scrutiny of the judiciary giving immunity to the government.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy dashed off a letter to Chief Justice of India SA Bobde apprising him of the recent happenings in the Andhra Pradesh High Court and the alleged intervention of sitting Supreme Court Judge NV Ramana to protect the interests of TDP and its chief N Chandrababu Naidu. By discussing the issue threadbare, the government wants to send the message clear and loud, the sources said.

Another issue the YSRC government may take up is the Polavaram project and how the previous government failed to include the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) in the irrigation component to be funded by the Centre. The project hit the headlines once again with the Centre not accepting the RCE of `55,448 crore approved by the CWC at 2017-18 price level, but agreeing to the `20,398 crore at 2013-14 price level. Both YSRC and TDP are blaming each other for it.

Pressing issues set to take centrestage
Pressing issues like the ongoing tussle between the government and the judiciary in the State and the Polavaram Revised Cost Estimates are likely to take the centrestage. The YSRC may bank on its welfare schemes, while the TDP is set to target government over attacks on Dalits, sand and liquor policies, sources said