To overcome TDP hurdle, Andhra Pradesh CM Jaganmohan Reddy plans to scrap Legislative Council

The move comes a day after the upper house dominated by the opposition TDP referred the capital restructure bills to a select committee thereby blocking the Reddy government plans of shifting the executive capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam.

At present, six states including Karnataka have the bicameral legislature – with both legislative assembly and council. The structure is similar to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha of the Indian parliament.

Interestingly, if Reddy gets to abolish the council, he would be reversing his father’s action. It was YS Rajasekhara Reddy who as the Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh revived the council in 2007. The upper house was scrapped in 1985 when the TDP founder N T Rama Rao was the chief minister. The TDP was troubled by the Congress then, like the YSR Congress is upset by TDP now.

Reddy’s exasperation with the Wednesday developments in the council was on display in his speech in the assembly on Thursday evening.

“We are a government formed with 151 MLAs i.e. 86 percent of the house. We have the people's mandate (and we passed the bill). The council could have passed, rejected or suggested amendments but claiming it as his discretion, the chairman sent it to a select committee,” Reddy said.

The CM got a 10 minute video of council chairman Md Ahmed Sharif statement played in the assembly.

“The Chairman says that rules do not permit, but he is using his discretionary powers to send it to the select committee anyway. This is like someone proclaiming that killing is crime but then commits a murder. Is this not slaying of democracy?” Reddy said.

“We should now ponder if we need a house which operates against public interest, in violation of rules. Is the council, on which we are spending Rs 60 crore per year, for public good especially for a resource poor state?,” the CM questioned.

Reddy termed his proposal as a “system cleaning process” which the house should support. The state assembly would convene on Monday to discuss the matter and is likely to pass a resolution to this extent.

DH had on Tuesday reported this probable situation. Legislature experts termed the council abolition as a time taking process. The assembly resolution has to be accepted by the centre and thereafter both houses of Parliament have to approve a constitution amendment bill, all this taking a year or so.

The YSRCP ministers alleged that TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, sitting in the gallery, has run the council show on Wednesday.