-Uproarious scenes on first day of budget session
-‘Governor failed to prevent YCP constitutional violations’
-Governor’s address full of lies and false claims
AMARAVATI: The members of the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Monday boycotted the Governor’s address and staged a walk-out from the Legislative Assembly on the first day of the budget session.
As soon as Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan began his address, the TDP members rose from their seats and raised slogans against his speech. They accused the Governor of not using his constitutional authority to prevent the YSRCP Government from committing rampant constitutional violations in the past three years.
Pandemonium prevailed in the House as the main opposition members tore up the copies of the Governor’s address and refused to resume their seats. After some time, led by TDLP deputy leader K. Atchannaidu and MLA Nara Lokesh, the TDP members walked out of the House.
Later, addressing a press conference outside the Assembly, Atchannaidu said their party had total respect for the institution of the Governor but they had no choice but to express their protest now. Serious constitutional violations were taking place in the State. The Governor did not try to prevent the non-stop attacks of the ruling YSRCP on the constitutional institutions, on the Amaravati Capital, the State Election Commission, misuse of Central funds and so on.
Atchannaidu said Governor Harichandan would have restrained the Jagan Mohan Reddy regime from undermining the CRDA law. As the Governor had failed to do his duty, the High Court of Andhra Pradesh had now clarified that the State Government had no authority to change the Capital. Everybody knew how the 3 Capitals bill was brought forward in a totally unconstitutional and undemocratic manner.
Earlier, the TDP MLAs and MLCs led by Atchannaidu and Nara Lokesh visited Venkatapalem and garlanded the statue of NTR there. They came in a rally to the Assembly premises. They sat in protest and raised slogans of ‘Governor Go Back’.
The TDP members strongly objected to the Chief Minister, expressing concern over the TDP members raising slogans against an elderly person like Governor Harichandran. They asked how Jagan Reddy’s party could humiliate Chandrababu Naidu by passing inappropriate comments on his spouse in the House itself. Since the beginning, the ruling YCP was hurling abuses on the TDP leaders and did not hesitate to target even their families.
TDP senior legislator Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary said the Governor’s address was boycotted as it was full of lies and falsehoods. Harichandan had failed to prevent the Government from pushing the State into financial bankruptcy. All sections of society including farmers, employees, jobless youth and political rivals were being persecuted endlessly.
Butchaiah recalled how the Jagan regime had also suppressed the voice of the media. In the past, the BJP and Left parties used to be given a chance to speak even though they had one or two legislators. The ruling party should try to listen to the opposition’s voice on the people’s problems. However, the ruling YSRCP members were not ready to allow free debates in the House.
