Opposition YSR Congress today issued another Whip, the third in this session , to all its members in Assembly. The three line whip issued by the party chief whip N Amarnath Reddy asked the all MLAs, including the ones, who defected to the Telugu Desam Party recently, reads,” you are requested to be present in the Assembly on 29th and 30th March, 2016 to participate in the discussion on ” Appropriation Bill” and vote against the ” Appropriation Bill”.
This is apparently another attempt to commit the defector MLAs to the whip. If they violate the whip, the party could initiate the disqualification proceedings against the eight MLAs, who ditched the party to join the ruling TDP.
Budget session has become a hide and seek game for the opposition party and the defector MLAs. The party, which has been trying to teach the eight MLAs a lesson, has not been able to nail them down with the ruling Telugu Desam party playing guardian angel. Initiating the disqualification process is necessary for the opposition party as many more MLAs are expected to join the ruling party if nothing concrete is done against the rebels. Thinking a no-confidence motion would force these MLA violate the whip, YSRCP moved the motion against the government without anticipating that they could skip. But, the YSRCP was checkmated successfully by the ruling party. The BAC, which is crowded by TDP members, admitted the motion and listed the matter for immediate debate, which caught the YSRCP unawares. The party could not get enough time to ensure that whip reached all MLAs. Though party had sent the whip in all modes of communication including SMS and email, there was not enough time for them to reach Hyderabad, if any member was in his constituency. This provided an alibi for the defectors to avoid the whip. All members skipped the House and finally there was no division on the no-confidence motion.
The party made second attempt the very next day when it moved another no-confidence motion, this time against speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao. The ruling party, again gave a shock to the opposition party by listing the subject as top priority item to be taken up immediately so that the opposition party could not get enough time to reach out to defector MLAs to serve the whip. Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy alleged, TDP came to the rescue of the defectors. Even though the opposition party pressed for a division, none of the eight members showed up in the House making the whip ineffective.
Now the YSRCP wants to take one more chance, this time seeking voting on the appropriation bill slated on March 30. In the name of defeating the bill, the party today issued the whip and is taking foolproof steps to see that all members are in receipt of the whip. The party is said to have dispatched special messengers to deliver the whip at all registered addresses in Hyderabad and at their native places. If the MLA is beyond the reach of the messenger, then the whip would be pasted on the doors of the house. This would help the party argue that willful absence from the Assembly on the D-day even after the receipt of the whip is also tantamount to the violation of the whip.
” We know pretty well that the government is protecting them. And there is no guarantee that the eight defector MLAs will turn up in the House on the day the appropriation bill is tabled. But, if they skip the house even after receipt of the whip, it will be considered as the willful violation of whip and we will initiate the disqualification proceedings,” Nellore rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy told telugu360.com.
