Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) floor leader in the State Legislative Council Vitapu Balasubrahmanyam has urged the ruling YSR Congress Party not abolish the upper house in the wake of its decision to refer to the Select Committee the two Bills relating to decentralisation of capital.
Speaking the media here on Friday, he said the government could take such a policy decision only after putting the proposal in its poll manifesto and obtaining mandate from people for doing away with it.
He said the Council, an independent Constitutional body, could not be expected to toe the line of the Legislative Assembly. “It has every right to consider whether the Bills are in the larger interest of the State or not,” maintained Mr. Balasubrahmanyam, who had served as MLC for 13 years.
It was unfortunate that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had questioned the necessity for the Upper House, he said.
‘Meaningful debates’
More meaningful debates took place in the Upper House than in the lower house, he said and took exception to the Ministers who were responsible for the conduct of the Council proceedings smoothly, themselves causing ‘unprecedented’ pandemonium when it took up for discussion on the Capital Region Development Authority Repeal Bill and the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of all Regions Bill.
Abolishing Council would be a time-consuming process requiring the nod of the Centre, he said and referred to dissolving of the Council in April 1985 two years after the then NTR regime took the decision.
