CM Jagan hints abolition of Council says Chairman Shariff violated the rules

Amaravati: In a hefty speech, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy urged the Assembly to discuss on whether to continue or abolish the Legislative Council. During his address in the Assembly on Thursday, he pointed out at the procedural lapses happened in the Council while sending the three capitals bills to Select Committee.

Jagan observed that Council was influenced by TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu and wanted to delay the Bills. He said that by violating the rules and regulations governing the Council, despite accepting them, the Council Chairman Shareef sent to the Select Committee. This exposed the intention of the TDP, which has the upper hand in the Upper House, he criticised.

Chief Minister screened the video records of the Council Chairman, in the Assembly. After that, Jagan quoted the words of Chairman, "The amendments must be moved within 12 hours after introduction of the Bills in order to send to select committee. The Select Committee proposal must be placed when the bills moved. TDP MLC Ashok Babu gave the papers proposing amendments and select committee motions. But they were not tabled. Technically, this procedure was not done due to my fault. TDP demanding to send the bill to select committee. The government opposed the select committee. BJP and Left parties also accepted. The rule does not allow to send for the select committee. We discussed it. There was no scope for sending the bills to select committee. Still, I send the bills to select committee under rule number 154 by using the discretionary power."

As explaining all these, the Chief Minister stated that it was nothing but a violation of discretionary powers of the chair. He questioned that how could the Chairman use his discretionary to correct his mistakes?

The Chief Minister lambasted on TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu. He said that Naidu sat on the Gallery and influenced Chairman. "Is the House run based on the Laws or interests of Chandrababu Naidu? The Council is running on the base of the interests of the public elected government or defeated leader?", he questioned.

Council must be suggestive. But, it is being misused to delay the bills, Jagan added.

He strongly stated that the Assembly should not allow these procedural wrongs to continue.

Jagan said that "Constituent Assembly discussed that Council was a waste House and no use except spending money. Only in six states have it. Does the poor state like AP need it?"

Postgraduates, advocates, doctors, teachers, actors, farmers, even Foreign returns, university professors, journalists and others we have in Assembly. Then what was the need to have the Council?

Yearly 60 Cr spending per annum. If we think that we are running sixty days, then it is Rs 1 cr for one day.

There was no word about the Capital in the Constitution of India. It is the seat of government for administrative purposes. It is the power given to the government to decentralize the administration for the public. The state government has the right. One resolution is more than enough to shift the capital. It is a fact. We can establish capital anywhere in the state. We can make laws from anywhere through Constitution. Then, I could not understand why did they do all these dramas? Jagan observed.