VIJAYAWADA: The TDP government is likely to file a petition or a batch of writ petitions in the High Court against the Centre on the denial of Special Category Status (SCS) to the state as well as the various ‘unkept’ promises made in the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Act.
Sources indicated to TNIE that it could be as early as next week and also suggested that the government may file a petition each on the unfulfilled promises. Already, some leaders and activists like former Minister Konathala Ramakrishna have moved the Court on the Visakhapatnam railway zone issue.
The move is in line with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s strategy of taking the fight to the Centre.
Now that the issue of ‘injustice’ to AP has been debated in the Lok Sabha, legal battle seems to be his next logical step. In fact, Naidu had on several occasions said that his government would wage a legal battle, if necessary in the Supreme Court, to ensure that Andhra Pradesh gets its due.
When contacted, Rajya Sabha MP and TDP legal cell head Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar neither confirmed nor denied the legal option but said it was under consideration. “The Cabinet has to pass a resolution and we will accordingly file a petition,’’ he said. Asked when it might be, he replied that was yet to be decided.
With opposition YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy calling for a bandh on Tuesday and Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan also announcing that he would be continuing his `Porata Yatra’ from Sunday, the TDP will have to come up with counter strategy in the ongoing political battle. By bringing a No Confidence Motion in Lok Sabha, it has gained an upper hand but going forward it will have to come up with a new strategy, which could well be the legal battle against the Centre.
TDP sources said that the legal battle will be complementary to the ongoing Dharma Porata Deeksha. When the Parliament resumes on Monday, the TDP will highlight AP’s demands in the Rajya Sabha during the short time debate. A section of the party leadership believes the MPs ought to stall the proceedings since nothing more could be expected from the Centre after the Prime Minister’s reply in the LS.
However, a senior leader told TNIE on condition of anonymity that there was no use installing the proceedings. ‘‘It will send a wrong signal to the nation that the TDP is attending the Parliament with the aim of disrupting proceedings. It is time for the TDP to participate in debates whenever issues pertaining to the state come up in the House. We can send a message to people that by continuing as MPs, we got the opportunity to raise the issues pertaining to the state,’’ he opined.