YSR Congress Party president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has been skipping assembly sessions, citing the lack of recognition as the Leader of Opposition, despite his party securing nearly 40% of the vote share.
Jagan reportedly fears he might not get sufficient time to speak in the assembly if treated merely as an opposition MLA.
The status of Leader of Opposition would grant him adequate speaking time, particularly after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Since the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has refused to grant him this status, a question arises: how can Jagan be encouraged to attend assembly sessions? Nellore (Rural) MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy believes he has the answer.
“There’s a way to ensure Jagan attends the assembly. If he is allotted at least one hour to speak every day, he will attend; otherwise, he won’t,” Kotamreddy said during an informal chat with reporters outside the assembly on Monday.
He further criticized Jagan’s reluctance to delegate responsibilities during his 2017 padayatra (foot march).
“When Jagan started his padayatra, he could have assigned responsibilities to someone like Buggana or others. But he didn’t because he doesn’t like anyone else speaking apart from himself,” Kotamreddy said.
He claimed Jagan avoids the assembly because he prefers to dominate the microphone and prevent others from speaking.
“He wants the microphone solely for himself,” Kotamreddy remarked.
Kotamreddy also alleged that Jagan’s approach stems from a desire to avoid transparency and scrutiny of his words.
“His philosophy revolves around saying things without being challenged or questioned,” he added.
Criticizing Jagan’s leadership as the opposition leader, Kotamreddy said, “He never fought for real issues. He only asked us to fight for the microphone.”
Concluding his remarks, Kotamreddy stated, “It has been a long time since anyone saw Jagan in the assembly. If the Speaker gives him one hour daily to speak, he might attend the session as early as Tuesday.”