VIJAYAWADA: The YSRC will continue to pitch for the Special Category Status to the State in the coming Parliament session. However, the party will not adopt confrontationist approach and will try to highlight the issue whenever an opportunity presents itself.
Making its intentions evident, the YSRC raised the SCS issue and implementation of various provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act at the all-party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Sunday on the eve of Parliament session.
As announced by party president and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy that they would raise the special status issue at every forum, the focus of the YSRC in both the Houses of Parliament will be on it. “However, it might not be confrontationist, given the numerical advantage the BJP and its allies enjoy,’’ according to sources.
It was evident from the reply of YSRC Parliamentary Party leader V Vijaya Sai Reddy, who said that they would extend proactive support to the issues that are in larger interests of the people. The party MPs are unlikely to disrupt the proceedings in the House on the issue of SCS as Vijaya Sai Reddy stressed the need for a new law to ensure more debate, discussions and decisions.
“We saw before the elections that in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha valuable time was wasted without any meaningful debates or discussions because of frequent disruptions. To avoid such things from recurring, there is a need to bring in a law making it mandatory for the members to attend certain days of the Parliament session. Those who do not attend or cause disruption should be denied salaries and other perks they are entitled to,” Vijaya Sai Reddy said.
However, he asserted that it was the Centre’s responsibility to accord SCS to the State as promised and implement every provision of the AP Reorganisation Act.
“The other issue we raised in the meeting was BC reservations and welfare. As you know, YSRC party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has made BC Declaration prioritising BC welfare and give them their rightful share in welfare and opportunities. On the similar lines, we wanted the Central government to give BC reservations based on population and, if needed, bring in amendments to Schedule IX,” he said.
Party’s floor leader in the Lok Sabha P Mithun Reddy said they had asked for reservation to BCs in the legislative bodies. “Women’s Reservation Bill, which is pending, was another issue that we discussed in the meeting. We made it clear that we would support those bills, which do not compromise State interests,” he said.
Asked about election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker, Vijaya Sai Reddy made it clear that they did not receive any proposal from any party in this regard. “As made clear by our leader Jagan Mohan Reddy, our focus is only on SCS,” he said.
Meanwhile, the TDP also raised the issue of SCS and other issues pertaining to the AP Reorganisation Act in the meeting. TDP MP Galla Jayadev, who represented the party, also stressed the need for sufficient time for the parties having less number of MPs in the Lok Sabha to make their point.
“The BJP was given big public mandate and several other parties now have a smaller number of MPs. It is imperative that they should be given sufficient opportunities to debate and discuss in the spirit of Parliamentary democracy,” he said
Jayadev also stressed the need for the Centre to assist States in the true spirit of cooperative federalism. “Post bifurcation problems in Andhra Pradesh need to be focused,” he said and added that the TDP would be the voice of the people of Andhra Pradesh in Parliament.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi wrote letters to presidents of all parties represented in Parliament, including TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, to attend a meeting on June 19 to discuss five important issues - Ways to improve productivity of Parliament; One country - one election; Building of a new India in the 75th year of Independence; Programme and commitments to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary and Development of aspirational districts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the meeting.