A game of oneupmanship is on between the ruling Congress and YSR Congress Party. Even as Congress leaders are putting brakes on Speaker Nadendla Manohar from pronouncing his decision on disqualification, YSR Congress is leaving no stone unturned to put the government in a spot.
The lone YSR Congress Party MLA in the Assembly YS Vijayamma on Monday dashed off a letter to the Speaker, asking him to recognize her along with 17 other Congress MLAs loyal to Jagan as a separate group. She also requested him to allot a separate room in the Assembly premises for her party.
Earlier, in a dramatic move, the 17 MLAs met at the party office and elected Vijayamma as YSR Congress Legislature Party leader.
In another development, the MLAs have also written to the Election Commission to hold by-polls in one go for all 24 constituencies that are expected to fall vacant.
MLA Dharmana Krishnadas, along with other YSR Congress leaders, told the media that they had written to the EC requesting that they be allowed to contest elections as soon as possible. “We have requested the EC to club all by-polls in Andhra Pradesh for conducting elections at one go, which the ruling Congress is deliberating obstructing,” Krishnadas said.
While CM Kiran wants to delay the disqualification issue to ensure that the elections in Telangana are delinked from those of Jagan MLAs, the YSR Congress Party is trying to build pressure on government to allow the Speaker to take a call on the issue.
A Deccan Chronicle report said that Jagan is likely to be arrested before April 2, when the chargesheet into his assets case is expected to be filed. If by-polls were to be held immediately, the sympathy wave might help Jagan candidates. Hence the delay in disqualification move, said the report.
In all this fracas, Speaker Nadendla seems to be taking the blame. Though he can always take cover under the ‘discretion of the Chair’ for his omissions and commissions, the credibility of the office of the Speaker has certainly taken a hit, causing embarrassment to Manohar.
