Jolt to YSRC as 2 bills passed with TDP amendments in Council

The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh suffered a jolt on Tuesday as it failed to get two crucial Bills in their original form through the Legislative Council, where it is in a minority, with the opposition Telugu Desam Party succeeding in carrying its amendments.

Hectic political lobbying by the YSRC leadership throughout the day, to prevail upon the TDP not to press for the changes in the Bills, failed as the opposition got the better of the ruling party.

The AP State Commission for Scheduled Castes Bill, 2019, aimed at constituting an exclusive Commission for the SCs, and the AP Education (Amendment) Bill, to enable conversion of classes 1 to 6 in schools to English medium of instruction, were cleared by the Council on the last day of the winter session but with certain amendments.

The Bills will now have to be referred back to the Assembly which cleared them on Monday either to effect the changes made by the Council or redraft them, legislative sources said.

In the SC Commission Bill, the TDP made an amendment to clause 12, seeking categorization of Scheduled Castes into A, B, C and D groups.

In the Education Bill, the TDP moved an amendment seeking to have an option for Telugu medium of instruction parallel to English medium.

The BJP and some independent members too supported this.

Accordingly, the Council passed the amended version of the Bill.

The ruling YSR Congress that has 151 MLAs in the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly, is in a minority in the 58-member Council with only nine MLCs.

The TDP has 28 members in the Council.