Andhra Assembly passes resolution to abolish Upper House

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, January 27

Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed a resolution to abolish the Legislative Council on Monday. 

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy introduced the resolution in the house after his cabinet sanctioned such a move at a meeting earlier in the day. 

"The Legislative Assembly of the State of Andhra Pradesh resolves that the Legislative Council of the State be abolished," reads the one-line resolution.

The state government has proposed moving its capital, currently at Amaravati, to three places—Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Kurnool.

Opposition Telugu Desam Party boycotted the special session called on Monday. 

With just nine members, the ruling YSR Congress is in minority in the 58-member Legislative Council. The opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has an upper hand with 28 members. 

Jagan’s YSRCP government has been critical of the opposition when two Bills— AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020, and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Act (Repeal) Bill, the second one being the three-state capitals proposal—that were passed by the assembly hit roadblock in the upper one. Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Chairman M A Sharrif referred the two Bills to a select committee for deeper examination on January 22.

Andhra’s resolution will now be sent to the central government, which will have to table it in Parliament. The Bill will have to be cleared by both Houses of Parliament before it can be sent to the President of India.

YSRCP is not an alliance partner of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party—the saffron party has allied with the Jana Sena led by actor-politician Pawan Kalyan. 

The state government has been miffed at what it sees as opposition’s “misuse” of its majority in the Legislative Council—the upper house had previously rejected a move to establish separate commissions for SC and ST. It also rejected a Bill to introduce English medium education in government schools.