MLAs dared to seek fresh mandate

Hyderabad/Guntur/Vijayawada: The YSR Congress Party demanded four party MLAs, who switched loyalties to the ruling TDP in the presence of AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday, to quit their membership from the Assembly and seek fresh mandate.

Addressing the press here on Tuesday, party deputy leader in the Assembly J Nehru and MLAs— K Srinivasulu, Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy and Alla Ramakrishna Reddy said that poaching leaders by luring them with money and implicating them in false cases was nothing short of ‘political debauchery’.

“The YSR Congress is demanding these four leaders to seek a fresh mandate as they were elected only for opposing the TDP. It will be known in the people’s court as to who is popular, the corrupt and inefficient TDP or the party with moral values and credibility,” the leaders said.

The four MLAs who went to the other party were either lured by huge financial gains or they were implicated in false cases and were forced to switch over, the opposition leader said. “It shows the weakness of the ruling party as it is losing ground with all sections opposing its governance and policies,” they said.

Meanshile, YSRCP spokesman Ambati Rambabu decried Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for adopting double standards in AP and Telangana by crying hoarse when his party MLAs defected to other parties and on the other hand encouraging defections from rival Opposition party in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, he said that a person of the Chief Minister's stature should not encourage defections. He should also ask those defecting to his party to resign their membership of their respective constituencies and then join his party. His admission of rival party MLAs into his party and offering them ministerial posts is unethical and unbecoming of his stature.

He advised all those who deserted the YSRCP to first resign their Assembly membership and then get re-elected if they have the guts to do so. He scoffed at the double standards of the Chief Minister saying that the TDP filed SC/ST atrocity cases against Bhuma Nagi Reddy last year while the same is being hailed as a good leader by the Chief Minister, after he joined the TDP.

Former MLA and YSRCP leader Jogi Ramesh came down heavily on the Chief Minister alleging that the TDP chief is attracting the YSRCP leaders with ‘Akarsh’ scheme and offering perks. Ramesh said the TDP chief is afraid of YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy and trying to weaken the YSRCP.