Former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is making desperate attempts to get the status of leader of the opposition ‘like a tyrant who does not give up’. After his letter to Assembly Speaker Ch Ayyanna Patrudu seeking such a status failed to get any positive response, he has now approached the High Court for the status of Leader of Opposition.
In the petition, Jagan stated that he wanted to order the Speaker to accord him the status of Leader of the Opposition. Jagan wrote a letter on June 25 to Speaker Ayyanna Patrudu. He appealed to recognize YSRCP as the main opposition in the assembly.
The letter said that it was decided in advance not to give the identity of the main opposition leader as it was against the traditions to take oath with me after the ministers. He said that the law defines that whoever has the most seats in the opposition should be given the status of the main opposition, and there is nowhere in the law that 10 percent seats should be given to the status of the main opposition.
He alleged that this provision was not followed neither in the Parliament nor in the united Andhra Pradesh. He said that the ruling coalition and the Speaker are already showing hostility towards him. He said that the words spoken by the Speaker to be beaten till death were revealed through the videos, and in such a context, there is no such thing as raising voice in the assembly.
He said that there will be an opportunity to voice the public’s problems strongly with the recognition as the main opposition party in the Assembly.
Meanwhile, Finance and Legislative Affairs Minister Payyavula Keshav said that Jagan is not the leader of the opposition but only the floor leader of the opposition party. He clarified that there is no possibility of giving opposition status to Jagan as per the current rules and procedures.
He commented that it will take him ten years to get that status. KCR, who is close to Jagan, also reminded that Congress was not given opposition status in the past in Telangana assembly. Payyavula expressed anger that Jagan tried to threaten the Speaker by writing a letter.
He advised Jagan to read the Kaul and Shakdher book and the Assembly rule book, which contain the legislative and parliamentary rules, not just the alcohol and sand account books.
