Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approves resolution of dissolving legislative Council

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved a resolution to scrap the Legislative Council on Monday morning. The resolution will now be tabled in the Assembly for an elaborate discussion.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has already hinted that he wants to have a wider view on scraping the AP Legislative Council, and hence the session scheduled on Monday will listen to the members of the Assembly over the issue.

The Cabinet discussed the matter for about 45 minutes and unanimously voted for the dissolution of the Council, said sources. However, the fate of two ministers – Mopidevi Venkata Ramana and Pilli Subhash Chandrabose will hang in air for a few days as the CM has promised them that they would be accommodated in proper positions in the government at the earliest possible time.

Opposition TDP has already decided to boycott the Assembly session since its voice won’t get any recognition in the House. The Telugu Desam Legislative Party that met on Sunday has termed the decision to dissolve the Council unconstitutional. It is also exploring legal means to challenge the decision.

Earlier, TDP chief and former CM N Chandrababu Naidu had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 during the tenure of NDA-1, urging him to scrap the Legislative Council. However, in the changed scenario, TDP doesn’t want to lose its protocol, and hence has decided to oppose the dissolution of the Council.

Former chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh and BJP leader IYR Krishna Rao said the NT Rama Rao-led TDP government had scrapped the Council as NTR didn’t like the presence of too many Congress members in the Council at the time. However, after Y S Rajasekhar Reddy came to power, he exerted all his efforts to reinstate the Council. The present political scenario in AP has prompted Jagan to go for dissolution of the Council as the TDP-led Opposition has been returning bills, which may see key bills landing in cold storage.

Following a detailed discussion, the Assembly will clear the resolution and send it to the Parliament, said sources. However, IYR Krishna Rao said, the Centre can use its discretionary powers over passing the same resolution in the Parliament.