The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP)-controlled Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly’s approval of a resolution to abolish the Legislative Council is a ploy to scuttle the Opposition. The move comes on the heels of the Telugu Desam Party, which is in the majority in the Council, blocking the Jaganmohan Reddy government’s plans to shift the executive capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam. With Andhra Pradesh’s coffers empty and the Chief Minister bent on having three capitals, hundreds of kilometres away from each other, the move could further drain the State’s resources (Editorial, “Abolition politics,” Jan. 28).
N.J. Ravi Chander,
Bengaluru
The Chief Minister’s haphazard decisions have shocked the people of Andhra Pradesh. There is at present no public demand for abolishing the Legislative Council and the move seems solely in response to the Council’s decision on his three-capital proposal. These developments also point out the need for clear parliamentary guidelines on the creation and abolition of such chambers.
Bontalakoti Sankaranarayana,
Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh
