The former chief minister, backed by only 10 MLAs, fears TDP and Jana Sena legislators are waiting to retaliate against him in the House for past actions when they were in Opposition
Published Nov 10, 2024 | 12:10 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 10, 2024 | 12:10 AM
YS Jagan (X)
Sweet are the uses of adversity, but not for YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
He has decided to boycott the Andhra Pradesh Assembly session beginning on 11 November. He said he does not want to attend because he has not been given an opposition party leader’s status.
In its absence, he said he would get as much time to speak as any ordinary MLA. He reasoned that in such a situation there was no point in attending the Assembly and looking silly in the House.
As YSRCP is going to keep away, the Assembly session will be a tame affair without any meaningful discussion on any issue, particularly the Super Six promises Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had made to the electorate at the time of the elections.
As it will be a one-way affair of praising Chandrababu Naidu in the House, the issues that merit immediate concern, like measures to alleviate the unemployment problem, allowing free ride to women on RTC buses, deteriorating law and order problems in parts of the state may not see the light of the day.
The former chief minister, with just 10 MLAs behind him, is apparently worried about the TDP legislators paying back the same coin to him when they were in the Opposition. He appears to think that the TDP and Jana Sena MLAs are biding their time to get even with him in the House.
When Jagan Mohan Reddy was the chief minister, the YSRCP members were “rude and insolent” while humiliating the then Opposition, even dragging the name of Chandrababu Naidu’s wife and making abusive comments. At that time Jagan Mohan Reddy who was in the house sat in his seat, looking amused at the goings on without restraining his MLAs.
Now the fortunes have turned full circle. The TDP and YSRCP roles are reversed. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s strength now is just 11, much less than what the TDP had in the previous House which was 23.
When the Assembly met for the first time after the elections in June this year, Jagan Mohan Reddy went to the Assembly only to be sworn in as MLA and then left the House. Since then, he kept away from the Assembly.
A couple of days ago Jagan Mohan Reddy made his decision clear – that the YSRCP would not be attending the session as they would not get any opportunity to raise the voice in the house. “At the most I may get just two minutes to speak. What is the point of going to the Assembly when the ruling dispensation appears is set on stifling the Opposition’s voice?” he had asked. He said he would question the government’s policy as a responsible opposition through the media every day till the Assembly session lasted.
But the fact remains that the people had elected him to the Assembly to represent their problems in the House, but he decided not to attend the sessions. It is not the first time that Jagan Mohan Reddy kept away from Assembly. After he began his 3,000 km padayatra in 2017 when he was in the Opposition, the YSRCP boycotted the Assembly session even as the then ruling TDP members ridiculed him for not being able to face them.
After Jagan Mohan Reddy announced his decision to keep away from the assembly, APCC president YS Sharmila asked all the 11 MLAs to resign since they would not be going to the House anyway. She wondered if the YSRCP members, including Jagan Mohan Reddy had no guts to face the ruling party, why should they continue as members of the House?
Maybe, one of the parties in the ruling coalition – NDA – should assume the role of the Opposition, a characteristic Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan had bared recently while coming down on Home Department for not being tough with law breakers in the state.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
