A week after former CM and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu met Governor Bishwabhusan Harichandan, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy held a 30-minute interaction with Andhra Pradesh Governor on Monday to discuss in detail the various issues relating to the state.
Among the key issues, the Chief Minister apprised the Governor about the adjournment of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council sine dine without adopting the bills to decentralise the state’s capital and setting up three capitals for Andhra Pradesh. The proceedings were halted after members of the ruling YSRCP and the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) virtually came to blows in the House over adoption of the two crucial bills. The Appropriation Bill that clears the way for the state’s annual Budget also got stalled.
The Governor, in his joint video address to the AP Legislative Assembly and Council last week, had said that the Andhra Pradesh government was firm on its decision to decentralise governance and equal development in the state as proposed earlier. With the crucial bills halted in the Assembly, Jagan is learnt to have discussed the way forward.
Further, Jagan also apprised the current situation in the state arising out of the pandemic. The situation in AP has been constantly worsening. In the last 24 hours, the state has reported a whopping 477 fresh cases, pushing the total number of cases to 8,929.
The Chief Minister is also learnt to have discussed the row over removal of State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar and appointment of retired HC judge Kangaraju. Although the state government had appointed retired HC judge Kangaraju, the High Court after hearing a batch of petitions had reinstated Ramesh Kumar as SEC. Ramesh Kumar’s reinstatement was challenged by the state government in the Supreme Court which had observed that the government cannot play with the constitutional functionaries. Currently, there is confusion over whether Kangaraju or Ramesh Kumar is the SEC.
Jagan’s meeting comes a week after Naidu’s deliberations with the Governor. Last week, Naidu met the Governor and submitted a 14-page letter highlighting the excesses of the Andhra Pradesh government in the one year rule of the YSRCP. In the letter, the TDP president charged that the YSRCP government was pursuing politics of vengeance, leading to gross violations of human rights where independent voices were being muzzled.
The former chief minister also pointed out that false cases were being filed to harass and persecute the Opposition TDP leaders. Terming the recent arrests of TDP leaders as politically motivated, Naidu complained to the Governor against the undemocratic and inhuman arrests of their party leaders Atchannaidu, Prabhakar Reddy and his son Asmith Red
