The decision to do away with the Legislative Council was taken as the opposition TDP scuttled the government’s development initiatives with ulterior political motives, Social Welfare Minister P. Viswaroop said on Wednesday.
Addressing the media, along with Ministers Balineni Srinivasa Reddy and A. Suresh, here, Mr. Viswaroop said, “The TDP stalled government business in the Upper House after backing certain Bills in the Legislative Assembly.”
The government, therefore, decided to scrap the House of Elders in the larger interests of the State and to spur speedy development of all the regions, the Minister said.
He expressed confidence that the resolution for abolition of the Council would get the nod of the Centre and the President as soon as possible.
Veligonda project
Earlier, chairing the Prakasam District Development Review Committee meeting in his capacity of Minister in-charge of the district, Mr. Viswaroop said the Pula Subbaiah Veligonda Project would be completed by June or July, 2020.
A ₹5,000-crore action plan was being prepared constituency-wise to find a permanent solution to the drinking water problem in the drought-prone district, he said.
As many as 1.10 lakh families would be provided house sites in the district on Ugadi, and 1,860 acres of land had so far been identified for the purpose, the Minister said. Another 450 acres would be earmarked for the purpose soon, he added.
‘It’s Council’s prerogative’
Meanwhile, TDP MLA Dola Bala Veeranjenaya Swamy said the Council had every right to take its own course on the capital and other Bills as it deemed fit, and the government should not expect it to toe its line.
He hoped that the State government’s decision to scrap the Council would be rejected by the Centre.
The ruling YSRCP was removing the names of TDP followers from the list of beneficiaries, be it for old-age pensions, house sites, or ration cards, he alleged.
