Legislative Council obstructs Assembly business, should be discontinued: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday said the Legislative Council obstructs the Assembly business and should be discontinued.

"The question ahead is not merely about the abolition of the Legislative Council but to keep democracy alive. There are only six States having a council. Some states like Assam, West Bengal, etc., have done away with the councils. There is no answer why the Council that obstacles the assembly business should be continued," said Reddy during a discussion on the resolution to abolish the Legislative Council of the state.

"The present Legislative Council is hampering all the Bills sent by the Assembly. In 1983, NT Ramarao, founder of TDP, had decided to abolish the Legislative Council. Pro-TDP media had supported that move. If we continue with the Council, we can get the majority in a year or so. But we want to abolish the Legislative Council only in the public interest," he added.

He further said that there is no need of a Legislative Council in the present day when the literacy level of the society has reached high levels.

"When literates were less in the country, intellectuals had less chance to get elected to the house. Then the Council was introduced. Now there is no such situation. There are PhDs, post-graduates, engineers, teachers in today's AP Assembly," he said.

Speaking on the three-capital plan for the state, Reddy said: "We are not removing Amaravati capital region. We will continue Amaravati as the legislative capital. We are going to make Visakhapatnam as executive capital. Respecting Sribagh pact, we are going to make Kurnool as the judicial capital."

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Monday passed the state government's resolution to dissolve the Legislative Council.