YSRCP leaders have no right to question SEC: Yanamala

Amaravati: Former Finance Minister and senior TDP leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu on Thursday expressed surprise over the changing statements of the ruling YSRCP leaders on the conduct of local body elections in Andhra Pradesh.

Ramakrishnudu recalled how the YSRCP demanded continuation of elections despite peak level spread of Coronavirus infections in March but now the ruling party was saying no to fresh. The YSRCP leaders have no right to question the authority or jurisdiction of a Constitutional and autonomous institution like the State Election Commission (SEC).

In a statement here, the Opposition Leader in AP Council said that if the ruling party was against elections at this juncture, it should have submitted its suggestions before the SEC at the all-party meeting. The actions of the Chief Minister were increasingly strange and illogical. The people of the State have never seen such a capricious and adamant CM in history before.

Ramakrishnudu said that very strangely, the YSRCP leaders did not attend the SEC meet but they were making unwarranted and needless comments on the elections by issuing statements and holding press conferences outside. Nowhere, any ruling party would boycott the all party meeting on elections in their respective states. Apparently, CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has realised the extreme discontent and heartburn among the people against his atrocious policies.

Stating that the YSRCP was afraid of facing the elections right now, Mr. Ramakrishnudu said that crores of public funds were being misused to enhance the image of the ruling party in the wake of rising unpopularity. The CM should explain how his party would face the next Assembly elections when it could not even boldly face the voters in local body polls. Within a short span of time, Jagan Reddy has amassed enormous unpopularity with his anti-people policies.

The TDP leader pointed out that all over the country, the Lok Sabha and Assembly byelections were being held right now. The Central Election Commission itself was holding elections in Bihar and other places. It would be wrong to ask the AP SEC not to hold local polls. If the elections were not held, the Central funds would be stopped to the local bodies. This would cause a huge loss to the State exchequer itself. The elections should be held compulsorily failing which the villages and municipal wards would not see development in the near future.