Andhra Pradesh Assembly, which is sitting for winter session from Thursday, is going to be a rather stormy affair as the government is surrounded by too many issues. The five-day session is all set to be rocked by issues such as ongoing call money racket, government’s stand on the Singapore companies’ conditions on the construction of Amaravati Capital city, Bauxite mining, adulterated liquor cases, transfer of Vijayawada police commissioner Goutam Sawang etc.
At a time when Opposition YSR Congress seemed devoid of any weapon to attack the ruling party following the fizzle out of Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s indefinite fast in Guntur last month, on special category state status for AP, too many contentious issues cropped up much to the embarrassment of chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. Of all the issues, Call Money controversy is all set to derail the House as it has enough potential to put the government in the dock with too many names of TDP MLAs and MLC and ministers doing rounds either as supporters of call money organizers or partners in the crime. Already National Human Rights Commission had issued notices to chief secretary and DGP of the state to file reports on the call money racket and it’s sexual harassment angle. As it happened in the Temporary capital city and as nation-wide publicity is guaranteed, the Opposition party wants to exploit the incident to the hilt. To devise the strategy, the opposition party has met this morning at Jagan’s residence. From the other side, to counter the opposition strategy, the ruling party and government also have begun deliberations. Chief minister Naidu convened the Cabinet meeting in Vijayawada minutes before the opposition party met in Hyderabad.
The Assembly is meeting amid the heat generated by state-wide raids by the police to curb levying of exorbitant interest and seizure of property of defaulters by money lenders, as well as the transfer of Damodar Goutam Sawang, police commissioner, Vijayawada. Sawang is going on a 10-day leave, which is said to have been applied a month ago. This justification by Sawang himself has no takers. When the investigation into the call money cum sex racket is at its peak can any motive other than diluting case against ruling party politicians be reason for the investigating officer going on leave?, is the question being asked by opposition parties.
