Till the next elections, the Andhra Pradesh state assembly will run without the presence of Opposition members, with the YSR Congress party deciding to boycott all the sessions hereafter.
A decision to this effect was taken by the YSRC legislature party at a meeting convened at by party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy at its Central office at Lotus Pond on Thursday. The next session of the assembly will start on November 10.
YSRC LP deputy floor leader Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy said the decision was taken in protest against the failure of Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao to disqualify 21 MLAs of YSRCP, who defected to the TDP without resigning from their posts.
As many as four of them are serving as ministers in the government even while continuing as the Opposition MLAs.
“We shall attend the assembly sessions only if the 21 turncoat MLAs are disqualified and four ministers removed. The state government has thrown all democratic norms and legislative conventions to winds by engineering defections.
As many as 21 MLAs were lured into the ruling party but, all these MLAs are still being shown as YSRCP MLAs and are seated along with the Opposition MLAs. This is travesty of democracy and the Speaker is deliberately deferring the decision on the fate of the defectors," Reddy said.
"A latest bulletin issued by the Assembly said the YSRC has 66 MLAs. Even four ministers were listed as members of YSRC. Are we part of a coalition government?" Ramachandra Reddy wondered.
"During the last three years, the assembly was in session for just 80 days. Wwhile during the reign of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, the assembly was in session for over 150 days," Peddireddy pointed out. He said the party has exhausted all options to make the speaker see reason and has hence decided to boycott the assembly session.