VIJAYAWADA: Discussion on Motion of Thanks to Governor’s Address in the AP Legislative Assembly on Monday witnessed a verbal duel between treasury benches and opposition TDP. Several ruling YSRC members spoke highlighting the issues mentioned in the Governor’s address and flayed the previous TDP regime. Opposition TDP members tried to counter the charges made by the YSRC MLAs and appealed to Speaker Tammineni Sitaram to ask the ruling party members to confine to the subject.
YSRC members like Mutyalanaidu and Kakani Govardhan Reddy lashed out at the TDP for the ‘large scale corruption’ during the previous regime. Referring to the schemes mentioned in the Governor’s address one after another, the YSRC MLAs gave vent to their anger on former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for showing an ‘empty hand’ to people without implementing his election promises.
Referring to Polavaram project, the YSRC MLAs blamed Naidu for the delay in its completion and faulted the execution of Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (PLIS). They alleged that large scale corruption took place in the PLIS execution.
Refuting the charges, TDP deputy floor leader K Atchannaidu said that there was no mention of details of welfare schemes and development programmes in the Governor’s address. He asserted that the TDP regime provided effective governance and implemented many welfare schemes and development programmes in the State in the last five years.
Claiming that no other State government implemented so many welfare schemes and development programmes since independence, he suggested that the YSRC members show some maturity and come out from the illusion that they were still in the opposition.
At this juncture, Water Resources Minister B Anil Kumar Yadav intervened and alleged large scale corruption in Neeru Chettu and irrigation projects during the TDP regime.
Some YSRC members said that the previous TDP government took up the responsibility of execution of Polavaram national project from the Centre only for kickbacks.
Sharply reacting to the criticism, Atchannaidu asked the government to stop starting motors of PLIS if they think it as a useless project and then face the wrath of farmers.
He wanted the ruling party members to discuss benefits of PLIS while speaking on its expenditure.
Claiming that the previous TDP regime completed 70 per cent of works of Polavaram project, he appealed to the government to complete the remaining works at the earliest.
Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy said that they were only questioning the corruption in PLIS. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) revealed that corruption to the tune of Rs 400 crore had taken place in PLIS. “After putting aside the Polavaram project, the TDP government had executed the PLIS. If emphasis was laid on Polavaram instead of PLIS, the project would have been completed,” Buggana pointed out.
Raghupathi set to be elected Dy Speaker
Vijayawada: Bapatla YSRC MLA Kona Raghupathi is all set to be elected Deputy Speaker of the AP Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
Assembly Speaker Tammineni Sitaram on Monday issued notification for the election of Deputy Speaker and gave time till 5 pm for filing of nomination papers. Chief Minister and YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy earlier announced that Bapatla MLA Raghupathi, who hails from Brahmin community, would be made Deputy Speaker.
Only Raghupathi filed his nomination papers for the post and 10 YSRC legislators proposed his candidature. The unanimous election of Raghupathi, a two-time MLA from Bapatla, will be officially announced on Tuesday.