HYDERABAD: Congress, whose confidence levels have increased after the-induction of A Revanth Reddy and other leaders from TDP into it, has started making chest-thumping gestures to take on TRS. Though lacking the requisite strength in the Assembly to unseat Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, the grand old party on Wednesday put him on notice by announcing that it was going to move “no-trust” motion against his government during the ongoing session of the state legislature.
Interestingly, the party sought the support of its rival at the national level, the BJP, to achieve its objective. “The government is running the Assembly like its own house and stifling the voice of opposition parties. It has neither allowed us to raise issues belonging to farmers nor allotted sufficient time to speak in the House. Hence, our decision to move a no-confidence motion against TS government with help of other opposition parties,” Opposition leader K Jana Reddy and TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced soon after the House was adjourned to Thursday.
The two leaders said that as they were fed up with the “undemocratic” behaviour of the government towards opposition parties on the floor of the House, they decided to move no-trust motion. “KCR says that he will hold the Assembly session as many days as possible and that the House will run till late in the night every day to discuss issues. But, in reality, the mike is seldom given to opposition members,” Uttam alleged. Jana called on BJP floor leader G Kishan Reddy at BJP office on Assembly premises and sought the party’s support to the no-trust motion.
Cong, TDP, BJP members meet Speaker
Congress, TDP and BJP members met Assembly Speaker S Madhusudhana Chary together outside the House and expressed their displeasure over the way the House is run ‘unilaterally’. “We told the Speaker that it was not fair for the Chair to deny mike to the opposition members while holding debates. For instance, even leader of the opposition K Jana Reddy was not given mike today to express his views on construction of a new secretariat building,” Congress MLA Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said.
No-trust motion: Differing views in Congress
There are mixed views within the Congress on moving a no-trust motion against the government. As the party does not have adequate number of MLAs on its side to have the motion passed, some are advising against the move. However, there are others who say that such a strategy will be helpful to the party in exposing the government’s alleged riding roughshod over the Opposition in the House.