VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday declared that he was proud to abolish the State’s Legislative Council in the larger interest of crores of people in the State, given the hurdles it created — due to political motives — in passing Bills that would benefit the people.
In line with this, the Legislative Assembly, after a nearly five-hour discussion, passed a unanimous resolution to abolish the Upper House. With the principal Opposition TDP boycotting the session, all 133 MLAs present voted in favour of the move.
"Today, we face a question not just about the future of the Legislative Council, but of democracy itself," the Chief Minister said, adding that the Constituent Assembly made the Legislative Council optional under Article 169 as it did not feel it was needed.
Out of 28 States in the country, only six have Councils, and earlier, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Naidu and West Bengal had resolved to abolish their Councils, Jagan said.
The State Cabinet, he asserted, is only answerable to the Assembly, which is elected by the people, and not the Council. “Bills passed in the Assembly are only referred to the Council, and amendments made by the Council are not binding. Today, when the Council is acting only to delay the Bills passed by the Assembly, which is elected by the people, how is it to be seen? It is only a waste of time and money and of no benefit to the people.”
Stating that the present Council lacks any sense of public welfare and spending money on it is a sheer waste, the Chief Minister said it is not even worth spending one rupee of taxpayers’ money from the treasury on the Council. “Is it justified to spend Rs 60 crore on the Council, which is of no use every year?” he asked.
Pointing out how important Bills — such as those on introducing English as the medium of instruction in government schools, separate commissions for SCs and STs, and decentralised development and administration — were stalled by the Opposition in the Council with a political motive, Jagan questioned the need of such a House.
He said that in 1983, the NTR government abolished the Council for just one person, but now, a resolution is being passed to abolish it for the larger good of the people of the State.
CM quotes Martin Luther King, says time is always right to do what is right
Lashing out at the Opposition and Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu for indulging in the propaganda of luring MLCs with money, Jagan reiterated his anti-defection stance. "Though our party will get a majority in the Council by 2021, we decided to abolish it, as welfare of the people is more important than increasing our party’s strength," he said.
He added that though he announced on Thursday his intention of having the Council abolished, he gave three days for people to debate on the issue and not say the government took a unilateral decision.
Describing Naidu as a leader who could change his decision anytime to suit his needs, he made a presentation of the TDP chief’s U-turns on Special Category Status, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress, and the Council, evoking laughter in the House.
Targeting Naidu, Jagan asked if it was wrong to form separate commissions for SCs and STs. "Was it wrong to introduce free English Medium to benefit poor children for their bright future? Was it wrong to increase annuity from 10 years to 15 years for farmers in Amaravati, who gave land? And increase pension to landless farmhands from Rs 2,500 to Rs 5000 pm in Amaravati? Was it wrong to strive for the development of all regions in the State instead of indulging in graphical illusions? Was it wrong to honour the 1937 Sri Bagh pact and give Kurnool a High Court?" he asked.
The Chief Minister concluded his reply on the Statutory Resolution by quoting Martin Luther King Junior: “Time is always right to do what is right.”
Members of the House pointed out at length as to why abolishing the Council is justified. Earlier in the morning, the Cabinet resolved to have the Council abolished, and the same was decided in the Business Advisory Council, which met after the Assembly session began.
Confusion over count
Some confusion prevailed during the voting over the number of the members present. With the Speaker asking the staff to close the doors for division on the Resolution, 18 ruling party MLAs were left outside the house.
At first, the number of members was counted to be 121, but on being objected again headcount was taken and the number of those present was 133. The Speaker announced the resolution to be adopted after the voting, with all voting in favour
