If the reports coming from the power corridors of Amaravati are to be believed, the YSR Congress party government in Andhra Pradesh is likely to commence the budget session of the state legislature without the legislative council.
It has been a practice that in any bicameral legislature, the commencement of both the upper house and lower house has to be notified for the budget sessions and the Governor would have a joint address of the assembly as well as the council.
However, the Jagan Mohan Reddy government has already adopted a resolution in the assembly seeking to abolish the legislative council and sent the same to the Centre for introducing a bill in Parliament.
The YSRC leadership is pretty confident that the bill would be introduced in the ongoing budget session itself.
So, the chief minister is said to be of the view there was no need for calling for the commencement of legislative council session. Moreover, the YSRC leaders have already declared that in the government’s view, the legislative council stands abolished and they would not acknowledge its existence.
But as per the rules, the legislative council continues to exist till the Parliament passes the bill on its abolition. So, the state government cannot ignore it while calling for the commencement of the budget session.
“There is a possibility of avoiding the council for the budget session on technical grounds that the issue is pending with the Centre,” source said.
In any case, the YSRC does not want to face the embarrassment of the council rejecting its forthcoming bills again and again.
After entering into a confrontation with the council chairman and passing strong comments against him and the council as such, Jagan, too, will not be willing to call for the council meetings.
However, the Telugu Desam Party would definitely demand the summoning of the council meetings for the budget session and if the Jagan government does not do it, the opposition might even move the high court.
The TDP has already announced that it would boycott the Governor’s speech if there is a mention of the three capitals in it.