House adjourns for day without discussion on bill on three

The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council adjourned for the day late on Tuesday without taking up discussion on a bill which will facilitate creation of three capitals for the state, as the opposition TDP scored a victory over ruling YSRC on a motion that is considered as an equivalent to a no-confidence motion against the government.

The division under Rule 71 casts fresh doubts over the fate of the crucial Bill as the motion is primarily intended to reject the proposed legislation.

In the process, however, the TDP suffered a shock as two of its MLCs voted in favour of the government though it did not make any difference to the outcome.

 

The TDP secured 27 votes while the YSRC managed 11 when division was taken up at the end of a debate on the motion taken up under Rule 71, after the Council was stuck in a stalemate for over eight hours during the day.

Rule 71 enables the opposition to move a motion "disapproving the policy of the government."

As there is no provision for the Legislative Council to move a no-confidence motion against the government, unlike the Assembly, the motion under Rule 71 is considered as its equivalent.

Leader of Opposition Yanamala Ramakrishnudu gave a notice under Rule 71 to the Council Chairman before the commencement of the day's proceedings and the House consented to take up the motion as more than 20 members backed it.

After five adjournments caused by the deadlock over the issue, the House finally took up a discussion on the motion under Rule 71.

At the end of it, the TDP sought a division and accordingly a headcount was taken in which the opposition secured 27 votes.

With two TDP members opposing the motion, the YSRC's vote count increased to 11, including nine of its own.

Nine legislators remained "neutral."

The House was then adjourned for the day without taking up discussion on the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020 and the APCRDA (Repeal) Bill moved by the government.

Earlier, after opposition TDP, which is in majority in the 58-member Upper House, blocked the introduction of the bill citing rules leading to five adjournments since morning, Chairman M A Sharrif in a relief to the government allowed it to move the key legislation for consideration.

Ending the nearly eight-hour long standoff, the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020 and another bill to repeal the AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Act, 2014 were moved in the evening.

The decebtralisation bill, which seeks to pave the way for establishment of executive capital in Visakhapatnam, legislative in Amaravati and judicial capital in Kurnool, and the other were passed by the state assembly late on Monday night amid opposition by the TDP and after suspension of 17 of its MLAs from the House for disrupting Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's address.

The bill on decentralisation provides for dividing the state into various zones and establishing zonal planning and development boards.

The village and (municipal) ward secretariats system that the government brought in October last year now gets statutory backing as it has been made part of the new bill.

The other bill seeks to repeal the CRDA Act, enacted on December 22, 2014 for development of the state capital post- bifurcation with a specific area demarcated as the capital region, since the YSRC government has decided to have three capitals for the state.

The government's move for three capitals has triggered protests by farmers who had given their lands development of Amaravati as the capital as envisaged by the previous TDP regime.