VIJAYAWADA: The Opposition TDP has decided to boycott the budget session of AP Legislature, which is scheduled to begin on May 20, to protest against the ‘unilateral, undemocratic and illogical decisions’ of the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
“We have decided to boycott the Chief Minister’s misrule, but not the Assembly,” TDP AP president K Atchannaidu said after the Telugu Desam Legislature Party (TDLP) meeting which was held under the chairmanship of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday.
The TDP also found fault with the YSRC government’s decision to conduct the budget session only for a day when several important people’s issues need to be discussed in the Assembly. The TDLP, however, will conduct a mock Assembly session simultaneously to expose the ‘failures and misdeeds’ of the YSRC regime, Atchannaidu said.
Reacting to the TDP’s decision to boycott the Assembly session, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, Advisor (Public Affairs) to the Government, and YSRC general secretary, said the TDP does not have respect to legislative bodies.
“The Assembly session is being held to fulfil a constitutional obligation. For us, even 24 hours would not be enough to boast of our achievements. We are ready to hold the session for any number of days but the situation is not allowing to do so," Sajjala said.
He further suggested the Opposition party to attend the session as the State Governor will address the joint sitting of Assembly and Council and the Budget will be presented.Addressing a virtual press conference earlier, Atchannaidu and TDP floor leader in the Legislative Council Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said Parliament and all other States held their budget sessions in March itself.
“In March, Covid-19 was not severe. We asked the State government to hold the session at that time. But the YSRC government ignored our plea. Now, it is going to conduct the session due to constitutional obligation," he said.
Atchannaidu said the Centre and most of the States are taking Opposition parties along with them in the fight against the Covid pandemic. But, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy did not hold an all-party meeting even once to discuss the Covid situation. The State TDP president deplored the ‘failure’ of the government to ensure adequate supply of oxygen in hospitals, which resulted in death of several patients.
“The government had failed to strengthen the hospital infrastructure in the State between the first and second waves of Covid," he said.
The YSRC government had decided to conduct the one-day session of Assembly only to fulfil the constitutional obligation, but not to consult and hold a meaningful discussion with the Opposition party to combat the spread of Covid in the State, the former minister observed.