YS Jagan Shoots Off Strong Letter to AP Assembly Speaker Ayyanna!

Amaravati: Stressing on the importance of a strong opposition voice in the legislature to address public issues effectively, YSRCP president and Pulivendula MLA YS Jagan Mohan Reddy penned a letter to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu on Tuesday. 

In his letter, YS Jagan expressed concern over the recent swearing-in ceremony of MLAs, where he was not given the traditional precedence expected for the Leader of the Opposition (LoP). As per the assembly tradition, the leader of the house, then the leader of the opposition and then the ministers were supposed to take oath, but that did not happen. Contrary to traditions, I was sworn in only after the ministers. It appears that the Speaker may have already decided against granting YSRCP the status of main opposition, he wondered. 

YSRCP chief cited Section 12-B of the Andhra Pradesh Payment of Salaries and Pension and Removal of Disqualification Act, 1953, which defines the main opposition party based on numerical strength. He argues that since YSRCP is the only party in opposition to the TDP-Janasena-BJP coalition government, it should rightfully be recognised as the main opposition.

In the conduct of the swearing-in ceremony held on June 21, you have revealed your intentions in recognising YSRCP as the main opposition party or recognising me as the leader of the opposition party in the Assembly, YS Jagan stated.. He also said that there is no ambiguity in the law in giving the status of principal opposition to the YSR Congress Party or in recognising him as the principal opposition leader.

The YSRCP leader also referred to the YouTube videos of the Speaker in which he was shown making hostile remarks against him. He added that this evidence reeks of the ruling coalition's antagonistic attitude towards him and his party. 

YS Jagan stressed that YSRCP secured 40 percent of the votes in the recent elections and denying them opposition status would effectively silence their representation of public concerns in the assembly. He argues that official opposition status would ensure adequate speaking time and facilitate robust discussions on various issues.

He further clarified that there is no rule requiring a party to win 10 percent of assembly seats to be recognised as the Leader of Opposition (LoP). He provided historical examples where parties with fewer seats were granted opposition status, including instances from united Andhra Pradesh, the Lok Sabha, and the Delhi Assembly.

• During the 1984 General elections, the TDP secured 30 out of 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. Despite not reaching the 10 percent required threshold, TDP's Parvathaneni Upendra was recognised as the Leader of the Opposition.
• Similarly, in the 1994 Andhra Pradesh state assembly elections, the Congress party won just 26 out of 294 seats in the assembly. Even though this fell short of the 10 percent mark, P Janardhan Reddy was designated as the Leader of the Opposition.
• Likewise, following the 2015 Delhi state elections, the BJP obtained only three out of 70 seats in the assembly. Nevertheless, the BJP was accorded the status of the principal opposition party.

I am writing this letter to you with the intention of giving you ample time to raise my voice in the Assembly on behalf of the people. However, the ruling coalition is already displaying hostility without allowing for such a situation. In this context, if I want to speak in the House, it will depend on the grace of the ruling coalition, which has won a huge majority, and on the speaker's discretion to beat me till I die. I request you to look into this letter keeping in mind the numerical strength of the parties presently in the House," YS Jagan said in the letter.

ఏపీ అసెంబ్లీ స్పీకర్ కు @ysjagan లేఖ!

మంత్రుల తర్వాత నాతో ప్రమాణ స్వీకారం చేయించడం పద్ధతులకు విరుద్ధం ప్రతిపక్ష నాయకుడి హోదా ఇవ్వకూడదని ముందుగానే నిర్ణయించుకున్నట్టు ఉన్నారు విపక్షంలో ఎవరికి ఎక్కువ సీట్లు ఉంటే వారికే ప్రతిపక్ష హోదా ఇవ్వాలని చట్టంలో ఉంది ప్రతిపక్ష హోదా ఇవ్వాలంటే… pic.twitter.com/fNK1dXaWCg

— YSR Congress Party (@YSRCParty) June 25, 2024

YS Jagan appealed to the Speaker to consider his request in the interest of democratic representation and effective governance. He also expressed concern that without official LoP status, his ability to raise issues of public interest in the House would be at the discretion of the ruling coalition and the Speaker, he signed off the letter. 

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