TRS MPs get ready with wishlist for budget session

Hyderabad: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi MPs are ready with a wish list of issues they would like to raise during the Budget session of Parliament. The issues they have listed out include Centre's indifference in funding the corona-hit States and also on the non-fulfilment of promises made under the AP Reorganisation Act.

The party has also decided to raise OBC issues mainly reservation, separate OBC ministry at the Centre and the women's reservation. TRS Parliamentary Party leader K Keshava Rao said that there were many pending issues in the Reorganisation Act on which the Centre needs to act.

Apart from this, the TRS leader said that there should be a discussion on OBC reservation. The party is not against the new reservations but the flaws in these new reservations should be rectified, he said.

Referring to the farm laws, Keshava Rao said that the Agriculture was a State subject and bringing an Act at the national level was against the federal spirit. "We have already opposed the agri laws and there is no change in our stand," he said.

"We had demanded the Bill to be sent to the select committee as there were some controversial issues but the Centre did not listen. We believed that boycotting the Presidential Address in the joint session was not correct as it would give an impression that they were supporting the mayhem and vandalism that took place at the Red Fort on Republic Day," he said.

However, it may be noted here that on December 28, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had said that it supports the new rule to allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere they like since the government was not a business organisation or a trader. He also said since the farmers can sell their produce anywhere, there was no need to set up purchase centres in the village.

It now remains to be seen whether the MPs would speak in Parliament opposing the farm laws. Party leader in Lok Sabha Nama Nageswara Rao said that they would raise other issues like pending road projects and providing financial assistance to the States hit by corona.

However, the leaders feel that since the incidents that took place on Republic Day would rock Parliament and if the other major opposition parties do not cooperate in smooth conduct of the House, it would be difficult for them to raise the issues they had listed.

The only opportunity they may get to make their point could be during the discussion on Budget proposals but again that is subject to the way opposition parties would behave.