Bus tragedy to add fuel to political heat at maiden session in Amaravati

Vijayawada: The ambience in Amaravati region suddenly begins to feel the political heat as if eclipsing the rising mercury during the summer ahead of the Budget Session of the AP Legislative Assembly. The session scheduled from March 6 is being hosted by the new state capital on its native soil for the first time after the bifurcation. The new Assembly building with all the latest amenities got spruced up to host the session.

Acrimony between the ruling TDP and the YSRCP over the bloody mishap at Mullapadu in Krishna district involving a private bus owned by TDP MP JC Diwakar Reddy family has set the tone for the session to be stormy. If the war of words between the two main political camps in the last two days over the bus tragedy is any indication, the session is all likely to sidetrack from the main agenda.

The ruling party is preparing ground to let the House focus on the style of functioning of the Leader of the Opposition which allegedly smacks of criminal overtures by citing YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s alleged unruly behavior with government officials in Nandigama in connection with the bus tragedy. Jagan’s party colleagues later clarified that he only protested the failure of the officials to explain causes for the bus mishap.

The police registered a case against Jaganmohan Reddy and a group of his party leaders on the charges of intimidation and prevention of public servants from discharging duties. The police action triggered massive protests from the YSRCP all over the state.

Close on the heels, the IAS Officers Association led by senior officer AK Parida met at the Secretariat on Wednesday to express its strong resentment over the manner in which the opposition leader behaved with the Krishna Collector. Parida called for mutual respect between the elected representatives and the government officers and restraint on the part of political leaders while dealing with official machinery during agitations. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu backed the collector while seeking to know as to how he is responsible for a road accident.

RK Roja, considered to be a firebrand MLA from the YSRCP who is set to enter the Assembly portals a year after her suspension by the Speaker on charges of indiscipline, trained guns against the Naidu government from Tirupati for foisting cases against their leader. “It is the duty of the Opposition parties to defend the public interest and our leader did the same thing at Nandigama hospital. But it is quite unfortunate and unfair on the party of the government to try to browbeat our party leaders by using police”, she said.

The legislature party of the YSRCP, according to sources, is scheduled to meet in Vijayawada on March 5 to chalk out a strategy to be adopted in the Assembly which is expected to mainly focus on the police action against Jagan. The YSRCP called for a state-wide agitation to protest the alleged police excess on Thursday.

Government chief whip Kalva Srinivasulu told The Hans India that his party will definitely expose the alleged unruly behaviour of the Opposition leader, citing the latest case at Nandigama and a similar one at the Visakhapatnam airport during the RK beach protest for special category status.