TDP to boycott Andhra Pradesh Assembly Budget session on May 20

Mangalagiri: TDP has announced that it would boycott the single-day budget session of Assembly on May 20 in protest against the unilateral, undemocratic and illogical decisions of the Jagan Mohan Reddy government.

Decrying the government's attitude, the party said: "We have decided to boycott the Chief Minister's misrule but not the Assembly.

Parliament and all other states held their budget sessions in March itself. At that time, there was no severity of the coronavirus cases. We asked Jagan Reddy to hold the session but he did not do it. Now, the second wave is very severe but the government is going ahead out of a constitutional obligation."

The decision to boycott the budget session was taken at the TD Legislature Party (TDLP) meeting presided over by party national president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

TDP AP president K Atchannaidu and former finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu announced the decision at a joint press conference.

They, however, said that the TDLP would run a parallel mock Assembly simultaneously with the state Assembly session in order to expose the failures and misdeeds of the Jagan Reddy regime.

Atchannaidu said that the Central government and most other state governments were taking opposition parties along with them in the fight against the epidemic.

But, the AP Chief Minister did not care to respect the Opposition and did not hold an all-party meeting even once. The Tamil Nadu regime took the opinions of the Opposition leaders to confront the flood situation. Whereas, the AP Chief Minister had only remained adamant and proved his inefficiency repeatedly by failing to save the people's lives, they said.

Atchannaidu deplored that the failure of the government resulted in the death of over 109 Covid patients due to lack of oxygen supply at a critical time. It was nothing but folly on the part of the government to propose Rs 15,000 assistance for the last rites of Covid victims.

That should be the last priority. Immediate steps should be taken to save the living people, he said.

Ramakrishnudu said that the YSRCP government came out with this one-day session only out of a constitutional obligation but not to consult and hold a meaningful discussion with the Opposition party. Obviously, the ruling party would turn the Governor's address in the Assembly into a hymn aimed at singing praise of the Chief Minister and his shallow decisions.

Condemning the ruling YSRCP's mind frame, Ramakrishnudu said even if the TDP would attend the session, the Chief Minister and his ministers would not give any chance for them to speak in the House. As usual, the YSRCP would bulldoze and suppress the voice of the Opposition just like it was done before. Since the beginning, the Chief Minister has clearly made known his lack of respect for not just the legislature but also for the media, judiciary and the administrative machinery of the state, he said.